1 


HISTORY 


OF    TIIK 


:TH 


H 


H 


3Uinoi0  3nfontrij  Volunteers, 


OTHERWISE   KNOWN  AS  THE 


HUNDRED  AND  Two  DOZEN/ 


FROM  AUGUST,  1802,  TO  AUGUST,  1805. 


BY    R.    L.     COWARD, 


CHAPLAIN. 


SPRINGFIELD,  ILL.: 

PRINTED  AND   BOUND  BY    H.    W.    KOKKEK. 

1880. 


£505 


•  5 


H7 


PREFACE. 

At  the  request  of  a  portion  of  the  survivors  of  our  dear 
old  regiment,  I  have  compiled  and  written  its  history. 
Not  because  I  recognized  in  myself  any  peculiar  qualifica 
tions  for  the  task,  but  because  I  loved  its  members,  was 
proud  of  its  record,  and  wished  its  history  to  be  written. 
The  labor  has  been  sandwiched  in  among  the  severe 
duties  of  an  arduous  pastorate,  and  the  result  is  not  what 
it  might  have  been,  if  some  leisure  could  have  been  given 
to  it.  But  it  has  been  a  labor  of  love,  and  as  in  my  study 
I  have  lived  the  old  days,  and  fought  the  old  battles  over, 
one  after  another,  our  dear  comrades,  both  living  and 
dead,  have  seemed  to  stand  by  my  side  and  fill  my  room, 
as  I  could  not  have  believed  it  possible  after  the  lapse  of 
so  many  years.  And  in  their  coining,  considering  their 
numbers,  they  have  brought  but  little  to  pain,  with  much, 
very  much,  to  gladden.  And  if  you,  my  dear  readers, 
enjoy  the  perusal  of  this  book  half  as  well  as  I  have  the 
work  of  preparing  it,  I  shall  deem  my  labor  an  eminent 
success. 


M167386 


iv  PREFACE. 


That  much  that  is  worthy  has  been  rescued  from  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  oblivion,  I  know.  That  there 
is  other  material  equally  valuable  that  ought  to  be  here,  I 
also  know.  But  it  was  not  at  my  command.  All  that 
Gen.  Howe,  Maj.  Field,  Quartermaster  Reece,  Hospital 
Steward  Allaire,  and  Private  Snedeker  had,  with  my  own 
diary  and  papers,  I  have  given  you.  Others,  too,  have 
rendered  valuable  assistance,  especially  Capt.  N.  H.  Pratt, 
and  Lieutenants  Dorian  and  Richards.  That  the  details 
are  correct  in  dates  and  figures,  I  am  confident,  and  as  far 
as  they  go,  the  statements  and  facts  of  the  work  may  be 
relied  upon. 

If,  when  you  have  read  the  book,  you  pronounce  favor 
ably  upon  it,  as  a  history  in  some  degree  worthy  of  the 
old  "Hundred  and  two  dozen,"  instead  of  thanking  me  for 
what  I  have  so  imperfectly  done,  thank  one  more  laborious 
and  deserving  than  I — the  inspirer  and  back-bone  of  the 
enterprise,  without  whom  the  noble  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-Fourth  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers  would  never 
have  had  a  written  history — our  old  comrade  and  Quarter 
master,  Capt.  A.  N.  Reece,  of  Chicago. 

R.  L.  HOWARD. 
BANGOR,  ME.,  Oct.  16,  1879. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Introduction— Companies,  where  raised,  by  whom,  and  their  organization— 
Jonas  Smith— A  Representative  Regiment— Camp  Butler— First  Ex 
periences — A  Private  for  Quartermaster — The  Extra  Drawers — Field 
Officers  Chosen— Drill  Sergeant  and  Awkward  Squad— Our  Visitors- 
First  Divine  Service  and  Dress  Pal'ade — Muster  Rolls — Richmond 
Taken 1 

CHAPTER    II. 

Muster-in— Marti n  Etter— Field  and  Staff— Other  Troops  with  Us— Drawing 
Anns— Our  First  Deaths— Lieut.  Wtlllan— Off  for  the  Front— Route 
Changed— Columbus,  Ky.— Mutiny— Embark  for  Jackson,  Tenn 14 

CHAPTER    III. 

Jackson— "A  Young  Brigade  "—Camp  Under  the  Poplars— Our  Assign 
ment  and  Commanders— Picket— Confiscation— The  20th  Illinois  and 
Sutler's  Goods — Mules,  and  the  Quartermaster's  Experience— Com 
pany  H  on  Provost  Guard— Stoves— Three  Companies  get  New  Rifles 
—Conflicting  Orders— To  Move  at  Last—Up  all  Night  to  be  Ready  to 
Start— To  Boliver  by  Cars— Up  at  2  to  Start  at  10— Our  First  March- 
Overcoats  all  Right — Company  F's  Calves — Getting  into  Camp — Rails 
—Camp  Fires— McAllister's  Battery— Astonished  at  the  Column- 
Dust  and  Smoke— Suffering— Lagrange—"  So,  Bossy  "—On  Picket— A 
Dead  Rebel— Positive  Orders 23 

CHAPTER    IV. 

"  Inflation  "—Camp  Equipage  Arrives — More  Comfortable— Guarding 
Rebel  Property — Drill — A30tli  Illinois  Boy  Disgusted — Grand  Review 
—A  Day  on  Picket— Relieving  Guard  at  'the  Depot— Off  Again— The 
Quartermaster's  Troubles — Into  Mississippi — Holly  Springs— Heard 
Firing— Tents  Come  Up,  and  Hovv--Lumpkin's  Mill—  Abbieville— 
"  Rebs  Skedaddled  "—Raining  Hard— Across  the  Tallahatchie  and 
Through  the  Mud  single-file  to  Oxford— In  the  Advance*  and  What 
Came  of  H— To  the  Yacona— Van  Dorn  in  Our  Rear—"  About.  Face  ! '' 
—Improvement  in  Transportation— In  Camp  on  the  Tallahatchie— 
Short  Rations— Drawing  Corn,  &c 36 

CHAPTER    V. 

Again  Moving—Carrying  a  Dressed  Hog  on  Horseback — Lagrange  Once 
More— On  to  Moscow  in  a  Storm— Colliersville  and  Guarding  Railroad 
Six  Inches  of  Snow  and  Boys  Barefooted— Beach  Memphis  and  Pro 
ceed  to  Clear  Land— Clothed  up  Once  More— Dissatisfaction  Created 
by  Northern  Copperheads— A  few  Desertions— Five  Roll-calls  a  Day- 
Dainties  from  Home,  and  the  Sanitary  Commission — A  Great  Deal  of 
Sickness— Pay  to  October  31st—  Hopefield  Burnt—On  the  k'  Platte 
Valley,"  and  Down  the  Mississippi --Lake  Providence— Peach  Trees 
in  Bloom  February  23d— A  Beautiful  Camp 50 


vi.  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Resignations  and  Promotions— Routine  Life— Heavy  Rains— The  Steamer 
"  Henry  Von  Phul  "—Levee  Cut— Berry's  Landing— A  Wagon  Load  of 
Fish— Religious  Interest— Tremendous  Storm  in  the  Night— Company 
G's  Hog — Interesting  Poetry — Col.  Sloan  in  Trouble — Adjutant  Gen- 
eral  Thomas  in  Camp— Logan's  Speech— Four  Months'  fay— Off  for 
Somewhere— Milliken's  Bend— Mortality  Statistics— Graves  on  the 
Levee— Volunteering  to  Run  the  Blockade— Gov.  Yates— Demoralizing 
Drill,  and  Dress  Parade  in  our  Shirt-sleeves— Views  of  Vicksburg— 
Roses  by  the  Mile,  and  Pride  of  China  Trees 60 

CHAPTER    VII. 

The  Vicksburg  Campaign  Begun— On  to  Richmond— Col.  Howe's  Horse— 
The  Quartermaster's  Experience — Still  on — Ashwood  Landing — Lake 
St.  Joseph,  and  Dr.  Bowie's  Mansion— Camp  in  3,000  Acres  of  Corn— 
Grand  Gulf— Running  the  Batteries— The  Tuscumbia— Crossing  the 
Mississippi  on  the  Mound  City— Bruinsburg— The  Quartermaster 
Again—  Just  Before  the  Battle''— To  the  Front— Signs  of  a  Fray- 
Support  the  31st— Capt.  Potter  Wounded— Up  and  at  Them— Thomp 
son's  Hill— Chase  Them  Till  Dark— Sleep  on  Our  Arms— Port  Gibson 
—"Down  With  the  Traitors,  and  Up  With  the  Stars"— Wading  the 
Stream— Such  a  Country— Big  Bayou  Pere— Halted  by  a  Shell  or  Two 
— Line  of  Battle— A  Long,  Weary  March  to  the  Big  Black — Grand 
Gulf  Evacuated— Resting— Sitting  Up  to  Sleep— Transportation  Up— 
Rocky  Springs— Utica— Special  Orders 70 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

Feeling  Our  Way— May  12th  Pickets  Run  a  Race  to  Catch  Up— Ray 
mond— Our  First  Man  Killed— The  Quartermaster's  Story  -Corporal 
Brown— Into  the  Village  in  Style— Our  Loss— Rebel  News— On  to 
Clinton— Col.  Sloan  in  Arrest— Toward  Jackson— Rain  and  Mud— 
Double-Quicking  for  a  Fight— Over  Crocker's  Battle-field— Jackson 
Evacuated— Camp  by  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institute— Back  Track- 
Burying  the  Dead— Eighteen  Miles  Toward  Vicksburg— Champion 
Hills— 43d  Georgia— Battery  Taken— Our  Loss,  and  Incidents— A 
Night  Ride,  and  a  Scare— On  to  the  Big  Black— Crossing,  and  on  to 
Vicksburg 86 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Before  Vicksburg— The  22d  of  May— Our  Position— Shirley's  House- 
Digging  and  Sharpshooting— Mortar  Boats— "Giving  Them  Their  Cof 
fee"— Flag  of  Truce— Three  O'clock  in  the  Morning— A  Charge  on 
Co.  H  -Gen.  Leggelt— Headquarters  Tents  Up— Col.  Sloan  in  Com 
mand—Raked  by  a  Parrort  Gun— Port  Hill  Blown  Up— The  "Slaugh 
ter  Pen"— Our  Losses—  Lieut.  Pratt  Killed — Fort  Blown  Up  Again — 
"Abe's"  Experience— The  Beginning  of  the  End— While  Flairs— I'nder 
the  Oak -Silence— Julv  4th— "Black  Your  Boots"— "Fall  In"— "Hail 
Columbia"— "See  the  Rebs"— "Forward,  March"— Into  Vicksburg— 
The  Old  Flag  to  the  Breeze— Cheer  Upon  Cheer 10-1 

CHAPTER    X  . 

Logan  Commanding  Post,  and  the  45th  Provost  Guard— Our  Friends  at 
Home— On  Picket  at  Night— The  Cause  of  the  War— General  Orders 
No.  20— Inside  the  Lines,  and  in  Camp  Once  More— What  We  Saw  in 
Vicksburg  — Caves  — Starvation —Testimony  of  the  Daily  Citizen— 
Famine  Plaster— Graves— "But  Vicksburg  had  not  Suffered,  O,  No  !"— 
Dress  Parade— Paroled  Prisoners— Pemberton  Oak— Sickness— Maj. 
Pattison— Resignations  and  Promotions 124 


CONSENTS.  vn. 


Home— A  Speech  from  Col.  Howe— "City  of  Madison"— Monroe  Expedi 
tion  —  Jimson  Weeds  — Camp  near  Bayou  Boenf—  Monroe  —  Leg- 
gett's  Order— Back  Again— Twenty  four  Miles  the  First  Day— Only 


Eight  on  Sunday— Then  Twenty-five  Miles  in  the  Heat— The  Worn 
and  Weary  Given  Six  Miles  Extra— Home  Once  More— Col.  Howe  on 
Military  Commission  to  Condemn  Rebel  Property — A  Scare — Moved 
Camp— Marching  Orders— The  Brownsville  and  Bogue  Chitto  Expedi 
tion—Over  the  Champion  Hills  Battle  Ground— In  Camp  Again 138 


Reece's  River  Experience—  A  New  Wagon  Master—  Details  to  Colored 
Regiments—  Conley's  Mule—  Roses—  Moved  to  Big  Black—  Col.  Howe 
in  Command  —  Logan's  Farewell  —  Battalion  Drill  —  Trial  Drill  of 
Brigade—  Won  Prize  for  Best  Picket  Duty—  Officers'  Mess—  Regimental 
Chapel—  Xeggett  Division  Commander—  Force  in  Command  of  Brigade 
—  Maj.  Mann  ............................................................  152 


C  H^UPTfER  EXIII. 

Col.  Sloan—  Our  Prize  Drill—  The  Proud  "Excelsior  Regiment"—  "Vete 
ranizing"—  Recruiting  Detail  ...........................................  164 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Marching  Orders—  Eastward,  ho  !—  Gen.  Sherman  in  Command—  "Uncle 
Johnny  Lyle"—  Line  of  Battle—  Jackson  Again—  The  Minister's  Mule- 
Brandon—  "Uncle  John"  Trades  Mules—  Officers'  Mess  in  Clover- 
Morton  and  Hillsborough  —  Houses  Catch  Fire  —  A  Night  on  a  Corduroy 
Road—  Decatur—  Chunkey—  Mule  Teams  Guard  a  Bridge—  Meridian- 
Some  Destruction—  Incidents—  The  Back  Track—  Diverge  at  Hillsbor— 
ough—  At  out  the  "Banner"  —  Better  Rations—  Mules  in  Plenty,— 
Canton—  Turn  Over  the  Animals—  Bill  of  Fare—  A  Mail—  Adjutant 
Smith  and  Party  Routed—  Home  with  a  Shout—  The  Quartermaster's 
Department  Slightly  Ahead  —  Negro  Accompaniment  —  Name  of  the 
Expedition  ............................................................  180 

CHAPTER    XV. 

Aurora's  Respects—  Conley  Again—  Col.  Howe  on  Leave—  Reece  Detached 
—New  Guns—  Wedding—  Brigade  Broken  Up—  Left  Out  in  the  Cold— 
Every-Day  Life—  Circus—  Horse  Off  for  Dixie—  Flag  Surrendered—  Its 
Subsequent  History—  To  Vicksburg  Once  More—  Col.  Howe  Returned— 
A  Fish  Story—  Col.  Sloan—  Weather—  Reece  Up  the  River—  Recruits- 
Defenses  of  Vicksburg—  Big  Black  Evacuated—  Respects  of  the  Regi 
ment  ......................  .............................................  207 

CHAP  T  E  R   XVI. 

Off  on  a  Scout—  Benton—  Skirmishing—  Vaughan's  Station—  Yaxoo  City— 
Sergl.  Hanes  Died—  Reece  Back—  In  a  Well—  Bigelow  Quartermaster- 
Military  Execution—  Howe's  Address—  Off  to  Jackson  July  1st—  Back 
the  9th—  Sanford  Mortally  Wounded—  Inspected  by  Gen.  Dana—  Col. 
Howe  Home  on  Leave—  Political  Speaking—  Respects  to  Gen.  Dana- 
Grand  Review—  On  the  "Shenango"—  Mess-Running  on  the  Boat- 
White  River-Off  for  Memphis  ........................................  224 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

Memphis—  Fort  Pickering,  and  Box  Cars—  Guarding  Wood  Choppers—  An 
Alarm—  Lieut.  Spear  Sick—  Off  on  the  "Magenta"—  Capt.  Kendall  Left 
Behind—  Report  at  White  River—  On  to  Vicksburg—  Run  into  the 
Bank—  Home  Again—  Relieve  the  72d—  Guard  Mounting—  58th  Ohio 
With  Us—  72d  Leave—  Move  Into  Their  Camp—  Provost  Duty—  Lincoln 
Re-elected—  /^w  de  Joie—  Whiskey  and  Pistols—  A  Jubilee—  Capt.  Cal- 
lahan—  A  Noble  Record—  Women  in  Trade—  Sword  Presentation- 
Closed  the  Year  with  a  Funeral—  Changes  ...........................  247 


viii.  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    XVI  I  I. 

Ladies  in  Camp— Style— Detached  Service— Maj.  Mann  on  the  Works- 
Cavalry  Movements  -Troops  Passing— Colored  Regiments  Go  Down 
the  River— More  Recruits— Gen.  Canby  in  Command  Below— Move  at 
Last— On  the  "Grey  Eagle"— New  Orleans— Camp  Chalmette— Ladies 
With  Is— "No  Bottonr'— 72d  Again— Reece  Back— Enjoy  the  City— 
On  the  "Guiding  Star"— A  Jam— Over  the  Bar— Sea  Sick— Dauphin 
Island 264 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

The  "Festive  Oyster"— Organi/ation— Across  the  Bay— Reece  and  the 
Teams— The  '"Father  of  Crooks"— Among  the  Pines— Brigade  Drill- 
Franking  Letters— Fortifying— Further  On— Skirmishing— "  Wake 
Nicodemus"— Adjutant  and  Hodges  Wounded— Spanish  Foit— Geo.  C. 
Black  Killed— Siege— Our  Position— Wounded— A  Fearful  Day- 
Killed— Officers  Digging  Ritle-Pits— Killed  und  Wounded— Siege 
Progressing— General  Bombardment— April  8th— Our  Share  in  the 
Capture— Capt.  N.  H.  Pratt 's  Story 282 

CHATTER    XX. 

On  the  Move  Again— Halt— Blakelv  Fallen— Brigade  Meeting— Off  for 
Montgomery — Baldwin  County  Pines — Laurels — Florida — Accident — 
News— Cheer  Lpon  Cheer— Flags  by  the  Way— A  Union  Woman— 
Greeneville— 200  Guns— "Secesh"— Montgomery— Camp  and  Straw 
berries—Provost  Duty— Officers  Quartered  Out—  Daily  Advertiser— 
Lincoln  Assassinated— May  1st— Chaplains'  Meeting 309 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Col.  Howe  Commanding  Brigade— Colored  Children— Mail  Once  More- 
Ears  Cut  Off— Dress  Parade  in  State—Women  after  Mules--One 
Woman's  Opinion  of  God— Turn  Over  Flag— It's  History— Col.  Howe 
and  His  Hostess— Dr.  Qilmer— July  4th  Approaching— Citizens  wish  to 
Celebrate— Arrangements— Programme— The  Dav  Itself,  and  the  Cel 
ebration—  Disgusted—A  Second  Edition— A  Little  Marrying-- Horses 
Sold— New  Officers—Hot  but  Healthy—Rumors— Off  on  the  "Vir 
ginia"— Going  Home— Selma— Pokerish  Bridges— Demopolis— On  Top 
of  the  Cars— Meridian  Again—Recruits  Transferred— Watermelons- 
Jackson— March  and  Pay  for  Rides  to  Big  Black— Vicksburg— Cherry 
Street  Barracks— Sun-stroke 342 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Muster  out  Rolls— Head  quarters  at  the  Washington  House- -Equipments 
Turned  Over—The  Work  Supposed  to  be  Finished— Lind  Married— 
On  the  "  Ida  Handy"  and  Good-bye  to  Vicksburg— Aground— Mouth 
of  White  River— The  Last  Sermon— At  Cairo— On  a  "  Wild  Train  "  of 
Thirty-five  Cars  with  the  76th  Illinois— Through  the  State— At  Chi 
cago—Soldiers'  Best— Grand  Reception  at  the  Court  House— Papers 
Defective— Camp  Douglas— Two  Weeks  of  Waiting—  Tribune  Article- 
Ed.  McGlynn— Paid  off  and  Free  at  Last— Testimonials  to  Reece  and 
Durley— Off  for  Home — Reception  at  Kewanee — The  War-Path 
Ended 380 

CHAPTER    XXIII 

RELIGIOUS. 

Ministers  in  the  Regiment— Services  in  the  Barracks— Chaplain  Foskett— 
All  New  to  Us— Somewhat  Discouraged— Ranks  Thinned— Change  of 
Chaplains— Better  Opportunities— Form  a  Church— Its  Officers— Sub 
scription  for  Reading — Bible  Dictionaries — Protracted  Meetings — The 
Christian  Commission— Singing  School— Bible  Class— Weekly  Prayer 
Meetings— Chaplain  in  the  stair  House  at  Montgomery— African 
Emotion— Church  Losses  by  Death— Letters  Given,  and  Church  Dis 
banded,  895 


CONTENTS.  ix. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 
MEDICAL. 

Introduction— Camp  Butler— Dr,  Reece— Dr.  Bucher— Surgeon  Angell— 
Allaire  and  Murray— Assistant  Burgeon  Kay— Running  Narrative— 
Dr.  Jassoy— Raymond— Champion  Hills— Inside  Vicksburg— A  Word 
of  Praise— Extracts  from  Allaire— Resignation  of  Dr.  Angell— Dr.  Kay 
Promoted— Dr.  Jassoy  Dismissed— Died,  Killed  and  Discharged— No 
Reason  to  Complain  of  our  Medical  Department— Kay  and  Allaire 417 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

officers  at  Muster  Out— The  Few  Unchanged— Our  Music— Nye  and 
Mathews— "Judge"  Austin— Postmasters— Hospital  Stewards  to  Spare 
—Mexican  War  Veterans— Logan's  Letter  at  Memphis— Fort  Hill 
Detail— Spangler— Leggett's  Letter  to  Adjt.  Gen.  Fuller— McPherson's 
Ditto— Desertions— Reflections— One  Story  More 439 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

OUR  CAPTURED. 

At  Raymond— Schoonover— Peter  Victor— New  Canton,  Miss.— Sayles' 
Narrative— Horrors  of  Andersonville— Final  Release— Randall  and 
Wilder— Mai len  and  Phillips— Murphy  Escaped— Dunning 462 

CHAPTER    XXVII. 
Our  Departed 472 

CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

Reunions — Conclusion 485 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE 493 

APPEN  DIX .    496 


HISTORY  OF  124x11  ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


CHAPTER 


Introduction. — Companies,  where  raised,  by  whom,  and  their  organi 
zations. — Jonas  Smith. — A  representative  regiment. — Camp  But 
ler. — First  experiences.  — A  private  for  Quartermaster. — The  extra 
drawers. — Field  officers  chosen. — Drill  sergeant  and  awkward 
squad. — Our  visitors. — First  divine  service  and  dress  parade. — 
Muster  rolls. — Richmond  taken. 

IN  THE  Summer  of  1862,  "We  are  coming,  Father 
Abraham,  three  hundred  thousand  more,"  was  the 
refrain  the  thoroughly  aroused  North  was  singing,  in 
city  and  hamlet  and  town,  from  sea  to  sea  ;  but  no 
where  was  it  nearer  a  verity  than  in  the  Sucker  State, 
whose  prairies  were  all  aflame  with  patriotism,  and 
whose  sons  kept  step  to  the  ringing  chorus,  till  more 
than  sixty  thousand  of  her  noblest  and  truest  were 
freshly  enrolled  under  liberty's  banner,  and  following 
their  sixty  thousand  brothers  to  the  field.  A  nation  in 
arms  from  Illinois  alone. 

This  was  the  tidal  wave  of  the  war,  and  on  its  crest 
were  borne,  impetuously  thundering  against  the  citadel 
of  treason,  the  deep  convictions,  the  unflinching  patriot 
ism,  the  unwavering  faith,  and  the  conquering  energies 
of  the  land.  The  man  of  God  sprang  from  his  pulpit, 
the  judge  laid  aside  his  ermine,  the  advocate  dropped 


HISTORY  OF  124x11  ILLINOIS  INKANTIIY. 


CHAPTER   I. 


Introduction. — Companies,  where  raised,  by  whom,  and  their  organi 
zations. — Jonas  Smith. — A  representative  regiment. — Camp  But 
ler. — First  experiences. — A  private  for  Quartermaster. — The  extra 
drawers. — Field  officers  chosen. — Drill  sergeant  and  awkward 
squad. — Our  visitors. — First  divine  service  and  dress  parade. — 
Muster  rolls. — Richmond  taken. 

IN  THE  Summer  of  1862,  "We  are  coming,  Father 
Abraham,  three  hundred  thousand  more,"  was  the 
refrain  the  thoroughly  aroused  North  was  singing,  in 
city  and  hamlet  and  town,  from  sea  to  sea  ;  but  no 
where  was  it  nearer  a  verity  than  in  the  Sucker  State, 
whose  prairies  were  all  aflame  with  patriotism,  and 
whose  sons  kept  step  to  the  ringing  chorus,  till  more 
than  sixty  thousand  of  her  noblest  and  truest  were 
freshly  enrolled  under  liberty's  banner,  and  following 
their  sixty  thousand  brothers  to  the  field.  A  nation  in 
arms  from  Illinois  alone. 

This  was  the  tidal  wave  of  the  war,  and  on  its  crest 
were  borne,  impetuously  thundering  against  the  citadel 
of  treason,  the  deep  convictions,  the  unflinching  patriot 
ism,  the  unwavering  faith,  and  the  conquering  energies 
of  the  land.  The  man  of  God  sprang  from  his  pulpit, 
the  judge  laid  aside  his  ermine,  the  advocate  dropped 


HISTORY  OF  THE    i2.|TH 


his  brief,  the  physician  left  his  patient,  grave  college 
professors  buckled  on  their  swords  as  their  classes  shoul 
dered  arms  for  the  front,  and  merchants,  manufacturers, 
mechanics,  business  men,  and  farmers,  worth  their  tens 
of  thousands,  wrote  themselves  ''privates"  for  their 
country  and  liberty's  sake,  and  went  out  from  the  beau 
tiful  homes  of  the  prairie  State  to  suffer  and  die,  if  need 
be,  in  camp  and  field,  that  the  nation  might  live. 

It  was  at  such  a  time,  composed  largely  of  such  men, 
and  for  such  a  purpose,  that  the  I24th  Regiment  Illinois 
Infantry  Volunteers  appeared  upon  the  page  of  our  war 
history.  Unlike  other  regiments,  raised  by  and  for  in 
dividual  men,  it  substantially  raised  itself,  and  knew 
nothing  of  its  commanding  officers,  as  such,  until  it 
met  or  made  them  in  camp. 

Companies  A  and  F  were  from  the  village  of  Kewa- 
nee,  in  Henry  county.  The  story  of  their  history,  with 
changes  in  names  and  dates,  would,  doubtless,  be  that 
of  others,  therefore  we  give  it.  The  exigencies  of  the 
struggle  and  the  call  had  wrought  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  village  to  its  highest  pitch,  when,  on  the  morning  of 
August  /th,  a  muster  roll  was  opened  in  the  office  of 
Judge  John  H.  Howe,  and  a  meeting  called  for  the 
night.  During  the  day  29  names  were  enrolled.  At 
night  the  rally  was  immense.  Speeches  were  made  by 
Judge  Howe,  James  Elliott,  and  other  leading  citizens, 
and  among  them,  one  by  R.  A.  Tenney,  of  Chicago, 
formerly  of  Kewanee,  who  proposed  to  enlist.  The 
knowledge  that  "Ralph."  as  they  loved  to  call  him, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


would  go,  was  electrifying,  and  the  enlistment  was  kept 
up  till  midnight,  to  be  continued  the  next  day,  and  fur 
thered  by  liberal  offers  from  those  who  could  not  go,  to 
aid  those  who  could,  till  the  morning  of  the  gth,  just 
forty-eight  hours  from  the  time  the  first  name  was  signed, 
when  101  were  enrolled.  This  number  was  subsequently 
increased  to  in,  and  the  second  company  was  raised 
immediately.  Two  as  noble  companies  as  ever  kept 
step  to  the  music  of  the  Union,  in  one  village,  raised 
by  themselves,  and  well  officered,  within  a  week.  Their 
organizations  were  completed  as  follows  : 

Company  A — R.  A.  Tenney,  Captain. 

Judge  John  H.  Howe,   1st  Lieutenant. 
Julius  A.  Pratt,  2d  Lieutenant. 

Company  F — Matthew  B.  Potter,  Captain. 

Norman  H.  Pratt,   1st  Lieutenant. 
Enoch  W.  Taylor,  2d  Lieutenant. 

Subsequently  these  officers  were  all  presented  by  their 
fellow-townsmen  of  Kewanee  and  Wethersfield  with 
beautiful  swords,  which  expressed  not  only  the  confi 
dence  of  the  givers  in  those  who  received  them,  but 
their  own  heart  in  the  cause. 

Rev.  H.  B.  Foskett,  the  Baptist  minister  of  Kewanee, 
afterwards  Chaplain  of  the  regiment,  enlisted  as  a  pri 
vate  in  Company  A,  and  A.  N.  Reece,  of  Chicago, 
afterwards  Quartermaster,  did  the  same.  In  his  case 
there  was  not  the  remotest  idea  of  promotion,  as  he 
was  the  uoth  man,  and  the  officers  all  elected,  while 
the  regimental  organization  was  not  even  mooted.  But 


HISTORY  OF  THE  12 


on  that  enlistment,  very  largely,  the  future  of  those 
companies  and  of  the  regiment  hinged,  for  it  was  Reece 
who  opened  the  negotiations  with  him  who  afterwards 
became  its  Colonel. 

Company  B  was  recruited  in  Batavia  and  Lodi,  in 
Kane  county,  between  the  3d  and  I5th  of  August,  by 
those  who  became  its  officers,  and  went  into  camp  with 
a  rank  and  file  of  93  men,  under — 

Adin  Mann.  Captain. 

Edwin  F.  Stafford,   1st  Lieutenant. 

F.  C.  Van  Vlack,  2d  Lieutenant. 

C,  D  and  I  were  recruited  with  the  view  of  raising  a 
Temperance  regiment  in  the  State,  under  B.  H.  Mills, 
an  ardent  and  efficient  temperance  worker.  His  effort 
proved  a  failure  for  the  want  of  concert  in  action,  com 
panies  raised  for  it  being  spirited  away  by  the  bids  of 
rival  organizations,  till  these  three  companies  were  its 
only  visible  result.  They  were  sufficient,  however,  to 
cause  the  regiment  to  be  frequently  called  the  Temper 
ance  regiment,  and  to  give  it  some  inspiration  and  char 
acter  as  such. 

Company  C  was  known  as  the  Springfield  company, 
though  it  was  partly  raised  in  Jersey  county.  It  con 
tained  103  noble  men,  nearly  all  of  whom  vyere  Good 
Templars,  and  was  organized  in  Carpenter's  Hall, 
Springfield,  August  25th,  with — 

Henry  L.  Field,  Captain. 
John  W.  Terry,   1st  Lieutenant. 
James  Rickey,  2d  Lieutenant. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


Saturday,  September  6th,  this  company  was  presented 
with  a  very  fine  silk  flag,  of  which  it  was  justly  proud, 
and  carried  it  as  the  flag  of  the  regiment  for  many  a 
weary  mile.  The  money,  over  sixty  dollars,  for  the 
purchase  of  this  beautiful  banner,  was  solicited  by  two 
friends  of  the  company  and  cause,  Misses  Amelia  Lloyd 
and  Mary  Devore.  A  sumptuous  dinner  was  also  pro 
vided  and  served  by  many  kind  friends.  The  exercises 
occurred  in  Wright's  Grove,  just  west  of  the  city,  and 
consisted  of  an  inspiring  presentation  speech  by  Hon. 
James  C.  Conkling,  a  brief  response  by  Capt.  Field, 
followed  by  the  abundant  dinner,  and  a  pleasant  social 
interview.  Then  came  the  joyous  return  to  Camp  But 
ler.  The  day  was  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  me 
morable  in  the  history  of  this  company 

D  was  raised  by  Rev.  Stephen  Brink,  a  fighting  Metho 
dist  minister  and  sterling  patriot,  of  McDonough  county, 
principally  from  Colchester  and  Tennessee,  with  which 
was  consolidated  a  band  of  Good  Templars  from  Chicago 
and  Dundee,  under  Asa  A.  Cowdery.  Its  officers 
were — 

Stephen  Brink,  Captain. 

A.  A.  Cowdery,  1st  Lieutenant. 

Travis  Mellor,    2d  Lieutenant. 

I  was  from  Bruce  and  McComb,  in  McDonough 
county,  under  Thomas  K.  Roach,  and  from  Adams  and 
Pike  c'ounties,  under  Rev.  R.  L.  Howard,  of  Barry,  and 
was  organized  with — 

Thomas  K.  Roach,  Captain. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


R.  L.  Howard,   1st  Lieutenant. 
Benjamin  A.  Griffith,  2d  Lieutenant. 

E  and  H  were  mostly  from  Aurora,  in  Kane  county, 
though  a  fraction  of  the  former  was  from  Chicago  and 
Hennepin.  This  fraction,  numbering  nearly  40  men, 
came  into  camp  fully  officered,  with  one  Jonas  Smith,  of 
Chicago,  Captain,  his  son  1st  Lieutenant,  and  Preston 
B.  Durley,  of  Hennepin,  who  had  enlisted  most  of  the 
men,  as  2d  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Smith  seemed  to  be 
about  the  only  officer  in  camp,  for  a  time,  and  the  inex 
perienced  stood  in  wonderful  awe  of  his  straps  and  con 
sequence,  as  he  ordered  them  about  with  the  airs  of  a 
more  than  West  Pointer.  But  it  was  soon  found  his 
company  could  not  be  filled,  and  consequently  its  officers 
could  not  be  mustered.  Adjutant  Gen.  Fuller  said  the 
men  would  be  consolidated  with  those  from  Aurora, 
under  William  B.  Sigley,  also  having  a  full  complement 
of  officers,  and  the  officers  of  both  could  be  mustered 
in  as  soldiers,  and  take  their  chances,  or  take  themselves 
where  they  liked.  Capt.  Smith  and  son  promptly  took 
themselves  away,  and  so  faded  these  military  lights  from 
our  sky,  while  Durley  alone,  unselfish  patriot  that  he 
was,  took  off  his  sword  and  stepped  into  the  ranks. 
The  Aurora  men  thus  secured  the  organization,  which 
was  effected  with — 

Wm.  B.  Sigley,  Captain. 

James  H.  Blackmore,   1st  Lieutenant. 

Osborn  Wilson,  2d  Lieutenant. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


H,  which  was  a  noble,  full  company,  from  Aurora, 
was  commanded  by — 

Rufus  P.  Pattison,  Captain. 

John  W.  Kendall,   1st  Lieutenant. 

Justus  D.  Andrews,  2d  Lieutenant. 

Company  G  was  mostly  from   New  Boston  and  Mil- 
lersburg,  in  Mercer  county,  and  was  officered  by— 
Lyman  H.  Scudder,  Captain, 
Ezra  C.  Benedict,   1st  Lieutenant. 
Benton  Pratt,    2d  Lieutenant. 

K  was  from  Sangamon,    Wayne  and  other  counties 
south  of  Springfield,   and   was  assigned  to  the  regiment 
by  Adjutant  General  Fuller.      Its  officers  were — 
Rev.  James  H.  Morgan,  Captain. 
Thomas  I.  Willian,   1st  Lieutenant. 
Stephen  N.  Sanders,  2d  Lieutenant. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  regiment  was  a  repre 
sentative  one,  from  its  spontaneity  and  patriotism,  as 
also  from  the  territory  from  which  it  was  recruited,  in 
cluding,  among  others,  Cook,  Kane.  Putnam,  Henry, 
Mercer,  Sangamon,  Christian,  McDonough,  Adams, 
Pike,  Jersey  and  Wayne  counties.  It  was  also  peculiarly 
a  representative  regiment,  from  the  intelligence,  moral 
character  and  Christian  standing  of  its  men.  It  con 
tained  eleven  ordained  and  five  licensed  ministers  of  the 
Gospel,  including  five  commissioned  officers  besides  the 
Chaplain,  and  these  ministers  only  appropriately  repre 
sented  the  noble  band  of  temperance  and  Christian  work 
ers  with  whom  they  were  associated. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


On  the  2/th  day  of  August,  the  Springfield  company, 
Captain  Field,  reported  at  Camp  Butler,  about  six  miles 
from  Springfield,  the  rendezvous  of  the  regiment.  .  It 
was  an  undesirable  place,  for  the  reason  that  all  the  bar 
racks  were  full  of  rebel  prisoners,  with  whom  the  new 
recruits  must  come  into  quite  too  near  proximity  for 
health  and  comfort.  But  there  the  thousands  were 
gathering  for  other  organizations,  and  Company  C  led 
the  way  for  us,  ' '  drew  provisions, "  as  the  Captain  called 
it,  and  •*  soldiered  their  first  night  without  blankets  or 
straw,  under  a  few  loose  boards  leaned  against  the  stock 
ade  inclosing  the  rebel  camp. 

On  the  28th,  Lieutenant  Cowdery  arrived  with  his 
Chicago  boys,  and  on  the  2gih  the  rest  of  Company  D 
and  Company  I,  having  passed  six  companies  of  the 
regiment  at  Camp  Point,  Adams  county,  without  know 
ing  who  they  were,  little  dreaming  that  the  strange  faces 
into  which  they  peered  so  eagerly,  as  the  train  stopped 
for  a  moment,  were  those  of  their  noble  comrades  for 
the  next  three  years  of  war.  The  next  day  they  arrived, 
having  spent  over  thirty  hours  at  Camp  Point  for  want 
of  transportation,  without  rations  or  shelter.  A  rough 
introduction  for  nearly  600  such  men,  on  their  first  night 
from  their  comfortable  homes,  to  find  themselves  dumped 
in  a  little  hamlet,  at  the  junction  of  two  railroads,  with 
scarcely  houses  enough  to  cover  them  all,  much  less 
provision  to  feed  them.  But  this  was  only  a  beginning, 
Camp  Butler  was  no  better,  except  that  rations  were  to 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  9 


be  had  as  soon  as   the  mysteries  of  red-tape  could  be 
sufficiently  mastered  to  draw  them. 

The  exposure  of  the  first  few  nights  soon  began  to  tell 
upon  the  constitutions  of  the  boys.  The  location  was 
malarious,  upon  the  banks  of  the  Sangamon,  while  the 
affluvia  from  a  prisoner's  camp,  and  the  ignorance  of 
our  own  thousands  of  the  necessary  sanitary  precautions, 
combined  to  make  the  attendance  upon  Surgeon's  call 
increasingly  large.  The  seeds  of  disease  were  rapidly 
sown,  and  many  a  noble  spirit  was  subsequently  lost  to 
his  country  through  the  improvidence  of  Camp  Butler. 

All  were  on  the  ground  now  but  Company  K.  In 
spection  speedily  followed,  while  "falling  in"  and  form 
ing  companies,  with  roll  call  and  breaking  ranks,  were 
among  our  first  lessons.  One  officer  raised  a  good  laugh 
at  his  own  expense  by  saying,  "the  company  is  dis 
missed."  though  he  did  not  say,  ' '  with  the  benediction. " 

Having  no  regimental  organization,  we  as  yet  had  no 
Quartermaster.  But  nature,  if  not  the  government, 
had  provided  one  for  us  in  Private  Reece,  of  Company 
A,  who  gave  abundant  evidence  of  being  a  born  Quarter 
master,  and  endeared  himself  to  all  by  his  efficiency  and 
promptness  in  that  time  of  our  need,  securing  to  us  more 
than  other  regiments  were  able  to  get,  some  of  which 
had  been  much  longer  on  the  ground.  We  had  already 
drawn  a  few  cooking  utensils  and  some  clothing  from 
the  State  supply,  through  the  Post  Quartermaster.  But 
now  Reece  came  to  our  aid  with  all  the  cooking  "  appa 
ratus  "  required,  and  a  full  outfit  of  clothing  and  blankets, 


10  HISTORY  OF  THE  IZ/J/TH 

obtained  on  his  own  personal  responsibility.  And 
what  was  better  still,  if  possible,  he  succeeded  in  getting 
teams  to  haul  us  lumber,  and  supplied  us  with  all  the 
saws,  hammers,  hatchets  and  nails,  our  willing  carpen 
ters  needed,  and  almost  as  by  magic,  commodious  bar 
racks  sprang  into  existence,  clean  and  sweet,  while  the 
ground,  dew  and  rain  of  Camp  Butler,  as  sleeping  lux 
uries,  were  numbered  with  the  past.  We  were  under 
shelter  of  our  own  erection,  well  clad  in  "  army  blue," 
and  our  citizen's  clothes  sent  home.  Our  messes  were 
organized,  our  cooks  at  their  posts,  and  our  companies 
well  to  drilling  in  about  one  week. 

One  incident  in  the  Quartermaster's  department  de 
serves  mention  as  showing  how  highly  we  were  favored. 
The  Post  Quartermaster  had  drawn  a  quantity  of  drawers 
that  were  all  wool,  and  far  above  the  average.  Reece 
saw  this  at  a  glance,  and  put  in  his  requisition  for  3,000 
pairs,  the  last  of  which  were  issued  to  the  boys  in  Mis 
sissippi.  The  like  we  never  saw  again  in  the  service. 

September  2d,  field  officers  were  chosen,  as  follows  : 

Thomas  J.  Sloan,  of  Chicago,   Colonel. 

ist  Lieut.  John  H.  Howe,  of  Co.  A.,  Lieut  Col. 

Capt.  Rufus  P.  Pattison,  of  Co.  H.  Major. 

This  caused  2d  Lieut.  Julius  A.  Pratt  to  become  1st 
Lieutenant,  and  Edmond  C.  Raymond,  2d  Lieutenant 
in  Company  A,  and  John  W.  Kendall  to  be  Captain, 
Justus  D.  Andrews  ist  Lieutenant,  and  Theodore  Pot 
ter  2d  Lieutenant  in  Company  H. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  11 


From  this  time  to  the  day  of  leaving  for  the  front  the 
drill  was  incessant.  Sergeant  Hiram  H.  Hall,  of  Com 
pany  E,  formerly  of  the  Ellsworth  Zouaves,  became  Drill 
Sergeant  of  the  regiment,  and  gave  the  "awkward 
squad"  of  officers  their  first  lessons  in  "  Casey,"  and 
the  facings,  dressings,  wheelings  and  evolutions  learned 
of  him  in  the  morning  were  carefully,  though  often 
laughably,  interpreted  to  the  companies  in  the  afternoon. 
From  one  company  was  heard  the  order,  ••  Company, 
right  wheel,  like  a  gate."  From  another,  "Form  a 
straight  line,  like  a  picket  fence." 

Guard  mounting,  with  sticks  for  guns,  and  all  the 
minutiae  of  challenges,  countersigns,  relieving  guard  and 
"grand  rounds/'  which  meant  so  little  to  us  then,  civil 
ians  as  we  were,  were  not  forgotten,  but  came  in  to 
very  the  tedium  of  the  drill,  and  break  the  monotony  of 
the  nights.  New  fledged  Captains  sported  their  sashes 
over  their  shoulders  as  Officers  of  the  Day,  feeling  that 
the  destinies  of  their  country  were  in  their  hands  as 
never  before,  and  daring  hardly  to  lie  down  for  a  mo 
ment  without  their  entire  accoutrements  on,  even  to 
caps  and  revolvers,  lest  all  should  be  lost. 

Our  wives  came  to  visit  us,  and  shared  with  trembling 
the  strange  accommodations  of  our  barracks,  and  looked 
with  anxious  eyes  into  the  faces  of  those  who  were  to 
be  their  husbands'  comrades  in  the  coming  danger,  in 
battle,  and  it  might  be  in  death.  Numberless  patriotic 
and  personal  friends  came  to  cheer  us,  and  cakes  from 
home,  Bibles,  and  pictures,  were  almost  omnipresent. 


12  HISTORY  OF  THE 


On  Sunday,  September  /th,  Chaplain  Foskett,  that 
was  to  be,  held  divine  service,  to  which  we  were  marched 
by  companies.  His  text  was  from  Psalms  20  :  5  :  "In 
the  name  of  our  God  we  will  set  up  our  banners."  The 
sermon  was  forcible  and  patriotic,  and  encouraged  us 
greatly  in  the  Lord.  At  3  o'clock  Lieutenant  Howard 
preached  in  the  barracks  from  Phil.  3:19,  20,  and  then, 
strange  proceedings  to  us,  we  had  our  first  dress  parade. 
But  we  soon  learned  that  Sunday,  of  all  days,  was  the 
day  for  military  pageants.  The  awkwardness  of  that 
occasion  will  never  be  forgotten.  Adj't.  W.  E.  Smith 
was  at  his  post,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  in  command, 
doing  well.  But  the  music  was  poor  and  everybody 
green,  and  that  which  so  soon  became  a  mechanical 
nicety,  was  the  most  trying  thing  of  all,  so  far.  Yet  it 
was  a  noble  line,  there  first  formed,  and  the  vision  of 
its  length  and  promise  lingers  with  many  of  us  still. 

Muster-rolls  soon  became  a  vexation.  They  would 
not  be  correct.  The  names  would  not  wheel  into  line 
alphabetically,  with  the  privates  reversed,  while  the  offi 
cers  were  straight  forward.  And  just  where,  if  any 
where,  might  we  "dot  under,"  and  could  we  erase  a 
letter  if  we  made  a  mistake,  or  scratch  a  little  and  not 
invalidate  the  whole  ?  What  momentous  questions  these 
were,  and  how  anxiously  we  asked  them,  especially  as 

"One  said,   'aye,1  another  said  kno,' 

So  we  could  learn  nothing,  where'er  we  might  go. " 

But  there  were  things  funny  as  well  as  vexatious  and 
annoying.  The  spirits  of  the  men  were  perfectly  irre- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  13 


pressible.  Songs,  jokes  and  ringing  laughter  abounded. 
The  zest  with  which  a  ring  would  be  formed  and  the 
"  Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic,  "or  "  We'll  rally  round 
the  flag,  Boys,  "  sung,  closing  with  rousing  cheers  for 
the  country  and  its  President  and  flag,  is  inspiring  still. 
One  night  Goodhue  and  Gibbs,  of  Company  D,  roused 
the  whole  camp  with  the  news  that  Richmond  was  taken, 
and  the  rebels  had  surrendered.  They  were  on  duty  at 
the  main  entrance  to  the  stockade,  and  informed  a  few 
strange  soldiers,  who  had  just  come  from  the  city,  of 
the  important  fact  as  they  passed  them  in,  and  soon  the 
whole  camp  was  in  an  uproar.  Men  were  shouting  and 
drums  beating,  while  the  orators  began  to  harrangue  the 
excited  crowds,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the  thousands 
was  tremendous.  Messengers  despatched  to  the  city 
presently  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  the  news 
lacked  confirmation,  and  it  soon  became  evident  who 
had  been  sold,  but  not  by  whom. 


14  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


CHAPTER  II. 


Muster. — Martin  Etter. — Field  and  Staff. — Other  troops  with  us. 
Drawing  arms. — Our  first  deaths. — Lieut.  Willian. — Off  for  the 
front. — Route  changed. — Columbus,  Ky. — Meeting. — Embark  for 
Jackson,  Tenn. 

AT  LAST  the  rolls  were  completed  ;  the  tenth  com 
pany  was  assigned  ;  and  that  wonderfully  impor 
tant,  and  quite  as  wonderfully  consequential  personage, 
the  mustering  officer — in  this  case  Lieut.  Ferdinand  E. 
DeCourcey,  of  the  I3th  U.  S.  Infantry — announced  him 
self  ready  and  willing  to  pass  us  under  his  benign  eye, 
and  the  tenth  of  September  dawned  auspiciously  upon 
us.  That  date,  to  be  written  against  so  many  noble 
names,  on  so  many  papers,  and  in  so  many  records,  on 
through  the  weary  years — September  10,  1862. 

After  an  apparently  rigid,  and  certainly  very  impres 
sive  examination,  from  the  manner  in  which  it  was  con 
ducted,  mingled  with  grumblings  and  hard  words,  the 
meaning  of  which  we  novices  were  not  expected  to 
know  ;  after  Martin  Etter,  of  company  I,  a  right-handed 
man,  had  been  kicked  from  the  ranks  by  the  indignant 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  15 

Lieutenant  for  accidentally  cutting  off  the  first  finger^of 
his  right  hand,  while  splitting  a  little  kindling  wood  ;  and 
after  we  had  thought  it  was  all  completed  two  or  three 
times,  we  at  last  found  we  were  "well  and  truly"  a  regi 
ment  of  infantry,  in  the  United  States  service,  to  be 
known  as  the  I24th  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  com 
monly  called  the  "  Hundred  and  two  dozen,  "  or  the 
"  Bully  two  dozen,  "  and  entitled  to  all  the  honors  of 
war,  provided  we  could  win  them.  We  had  passed 
through  DeCourcey's  hands,  and  had  received  his  appro 
bation — had  been  "cussed  in,"  as  the  irreverent  boys 
called  it — therefore  we  had  character.  We  were  some 
body  ;  and  the  men  received  one  month's  pay  and  forty 
dollars  bounty — but  the  officers  not  a  cent. 

Our  Field  and  Staff,  as  afterwards  completed,  were  as 
follows — 

Colonel,  Thomas  J.  Sloan,  of  Chicago. 
Lt.  Col.,  John  H.  Howe,  of  Kewanee. 
Major,  Rufus  P.  Pattison,  of  Aurora. 
Surgeon,  L.  H.  Angell,  of  Aurora. 
Chaplain,    H.  B.  Foskett,  of  Kewanee. 
Quartermaster,  A.  N.  Reece,  of  Chicago. 
Adjutant,   Wm.  E.   Smith,  of  Woodstock. 
1st  Ass't  Surgeon,  James  R.  Kay,  of  Liberty. 
2d  Ass't  Surgeon,  John  Jassoy,  of  Aurora. 

NON-COMMISSIONED. 

Sergeant-Major,  John  L.  C.  Richards. 
Q.  M    Sergeant,  Preston  B.  Durley. 


16  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

Com.    Sergeant,   James  A.    Nye. 
Hosp.   Steward,    Charles  B.    Allaire. 
Principal     )   Joseph  E.  Merrill, 
Musicians  )   Benjamin  C.  Bartlett. 

At  this  time  there  were  at  Camp  Butler,    besides  our 
own,  the  following  regiments — 

82d,        Colonel  Fred.  Hecker. 
9 1  st.  "          Henry  M.  Day. 

9/th,          "         Friend  S.  Rutherford. 

1 07th,          k<         Thomas  Snell. 

Ii4th,          "         James  W.  Judy. 

115th,          "         Jesse  H.  Moore. 

ii;th,          "          Risden  M.  Moore. 

1 1 8th,  John  G.  Fonda,  Commanding  Post. 

1 20th,          "         George  W.  McKeaig. 

1 30th,          "         Nathaniel  Niles. 

In  all  nearly  iiooo  men,  in  constant  preparation  for  the 
seat  of  war.  A  spirit  of  generous  rivalry  was  eagerly 
fostered.  To  be  the  best  drilled  and  the  best  equipped 
regiment,  and  the  next  to  move,  was  the  ambition  of 
all.  Col.  Hecker  seemed  to  lead  in  battalion  drill  for  a 
time,  and  the  gruff  old  German's  ringing  voice,  as  his 
men  sweltered  the  hours  away  in  the  field  at  his  bidding, 
was  a  source  of  considerable  uneasiness  to  many  of  our 
officers,  who  feared  we  were  being  distanced  in  the  race. 
But  soon  the  gallant  82d  left  for  the  front,  and  we  never 
saw  them  again. 

On  the    2/th   of  September  we  drew  arms — an  old 
French  rifled  musket,  as  poor  and  unserviceable  as  could 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  17 


well  be.  The  regiment  felt  insulted,  and  the  complain 
ings  were  loud,  deep  and  general.  Very  many  who 
would  pass  for  temperate  speaking  men,  declared  they 
would  never  go  to  the  front  with  such  arms.  The  offi 
cers,  as  well  as  the  men,  shared  the  disgust.  This  feel 
ing  bore  speedy  fruit. 

On  Sunday,  the  29th,  we  had  our  first  Grand  Review, 
with  ten  regiments  in  the  line — all  Camp  Butler,  who 
were  fit  for  duty.  It  was  a  goodly  pageant,  but  many 
of  us  never  could  see  why  it  should  have  been  on 
Sunday. 

By  this  time  sickness  began  to  tell  fearfully  upon  our 
ranks.  It  was  the  unhealthy  season  of  the  year,  and 
prolific  of  febrile  diseases.  Many  left  us  on  sick  fur 
lough  who  never  came  to  us  again.  On  the  4th  of  Oc 
tober  we  lost  our  first  man  by  death,  at  his  home  in 
Batavia — Isaiah  Noakes,  of  company  B.  His  release 
from  service  came  soon.  The  next  day,  October  5th, 
we  had  our  first  death  in  camp,  and  just  at  night  com 
pany  F  followed  Albert  Walton  to  the  grave.  It  seemed 
that  our  family  had  been  invaded,  and  the  thoughts  sug 
gested  were  varied  and  painful.  It  was  the  beginning 
of  that  experience  with  "muffled  drum  and  funeral  note" 
which  soon  became  so  frequent  as  to  excite  no  atten 
tion. 

Lieutenant  Willian,  of  company  K,  was  unwell  the 
day  of  muster,  and  soon  left  for  home  with  a  fever.  We 
never  saw  him  again  ;  he  lingered  till  the  5th  of  Novem 
ber,  and  passed  away.  Our  changes  and  exposure  were 


18  HISTORY  OF  TUP:  1241-11 


doing  their  work ;  our  Colonel  was  in  Springfield  sick, 
and  all  were  anxious  for  a  move.  We  were  sick  of  Camp 
Butler. 

The  air  was  now  full  of  marching  orders.  The  other 
regiments  were  leaving — Hecker  and  Snell  and  Day  and 
Rutherford  had  gone  ;  and  now  the  Moores  start,  and 
we  see  them  off — for  where,  no  one  knows.  We  think 
one  hour  we  are  going  to  the  Potomac  ;  the  next,  Cin 
cinnati  and  Louisville  are  in  the  ascendant.  "Any 
where  but  to  Cairo,"  the  boys  all  say,  for  it  is  so  un 
healthy  that  way.  Not  one  of  our  Camp  Butler  regi 
ments  did  we  ever  meet  again  but  the  li  iyth,  Col.  R.  M. 
Moore ;  with  that  we  came  in  contact  a  few  times, 
though  not  closely. 

At  last  the  long  expected  marching  orders  came,  and 
to  our  delight,  for  Cincinnati.  Our  stragglers  were  in, 
our  sick  were  transferred  to  the  Post  Hospital,  and  on 
the  6th  of  October  we  bid  a  long  farewell  to  our  first 
camp,  which  we  had  come  to  hate  most  cordially,  though 
with  less  reason  than  we  thought.  Now  for  the  moun 
tains  of  Eastern  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  we  said — in 
the  pure  air,  and  by  the  limpid  streams  of  that  delight 
ful  region,  the  healthiest  part  of  all  the  field  of  opera 
tions,  we  shall  speedily  recover  from  the  malarious 
effects  of  Camp  Butler. 

In  all  but  our  muskets,  a  happier  regiment  never 
started  for  the  front.  At  4  P.  M.  the  whistle  blew,  and 
we  rolled  away  amid  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and 
the  deafening  huzzas  of  our  thousands  of  friends. 


INFANTRY.  19 


But,  alas  !  for  the  uncertainty  of  all  things  military. 
Before  reaching  Decatur  our  orders  were  changed,  and 
upon  arriving  there  at  midnight,  we  were  whisked  from 
the  Great  Western  to  the  Illinois  Central  R.  R.  ,  through 
the  mud,  and  headed  south,  bound  for  Cairo,  after  all. 
But  we  were  going  from  Camp  Butler,  and  that  was 
something  ;  besides  the  boys  were  weary  and  sleepy,  and 
exhausted  nature  often  silences  mutterings  that  reason 
and  authority  never  can. 

Cairo  was  reached  about  noon  of  the  /th.  All  were 
heartily  tired  of  riding  —  especially  as  the  trip  from  De 
catur  had  been  in  '  'cattle  cars,"  as  the  boys  called  them 
—  and  glad  to  get  ashore.  Raids  upon  the  eating  saloons 
were  extensively  organized,  and  small  change  was  in 
general  requisition.  Here  our  Quartermaster,  ever  on 
the  alert,  succeeded  in  drawing  a  full  supply  of  most 
excellent  tents.  In  a  few  hours  all  were  embarked  upon 
the  steamer  Diadem  and  the  barge  Gazelle,  for  Colum 
bus,  Ky.,  which  we  reached  in  the  night,  and  debarked 
the  morning  of  the  8th. 

In  the  afternoon  the  regiment  was  ordered  on  to  the 
cars  for  Jackson,  Tenn.  Everything  was  on  board  but 
the  men,  and  all  was  ready  for  a  start,  when,  instead  of 
going  on  the  cars,  the  long  pent-up  feelings  of  disgust 
with  the  worthless  arms  broke  out  into  open  insubor 
dination,  and  a  part  of  the  regiment  stacked  arms,  and 
refused  to  move.  The  "Hundred  and  two  doozen," 
so  anxious  to  meet  the  rebels,  had  actually  mutinied 
before  it  had  been  twenty-four  hours  in  "Dixie." 


20  HISTORY  OF  THE  iz 


This  episode  in  our  history  needs  more  than  a  passing 
notice. 

A  part  of  the  regiment  had  protested  against  the  arms 
at  Camp  Butler,  urging  that  they  were  unfit  for  any 
thing  but  drill  and  guard  duty.  But  as  concert  in  oppo 
sition  was  wanting,  the  guns  were  issued.  Every  sub 
sequent  day  had  increased  the  conviction  of  their  worth- 
lessness.  At  Columbus  the  boys  had  been  firing  them 
considerable  ;  the  nipples  had  blown  out  in  many  instan 
ces,  the  locks  proved  too  weak,  the  range  was  inconsid 
erable,  the  recoil  tremendous,  they  heated  rapidly,  and 
their  aim  was  entirely  unreliable.  Expecting  soon  to 
meet  the  foe,  and  believing  that  once  away  from  our 
base  of  supplies,  they  could  get  no  better,  it  was  scarcely 
in  nature  for  such  men,  accustomed  to  rely  upon  their 
own  judgment,  and  not  yet  reduced  to  the  condition  of 
military  machines,  to  do  other  than  they  did,  especially 
as  their  views  were  correct.  The  guns  were  worthless  ; 
a  part  of  the  companies  were  sustained  by  their  officers, 
in  whom  the  men  had  unbounded  confidence,  as  well 
they  might,  for  they  were  men  of  good  judgment  and 
undoubted  patriotism.  They  felt  they  had  been  trifled 
with,  and  were  determined  not  to  be  sacrified  by  the 
wilfulness  of  those  whose  judgment  was  no  better  than 
their  own. 

An  earnest  appeal  was  made  to   the   men  by  Lieut. 
Col.  Howe,  who  was  in  command,  but  it  made  little,  if 
any,  impression  upon  a  part  of  the  regiment.      Matters 
were  becoming  serious.      The  aid  of  the  Commandant  of 


ILLINOIS  INF  AN  THY.  21 

the  Post  was  invoked,  and  it  is  said  the  guns  of  the  fort 
were  turned  upon  us,  while  the  troops  present  were 
ordered  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  fire.  This  is 
a  little  hypothetical,  but  it  afforded  a  solution  of  the 
whole  question,  all  unlocked  for.  The  men  became 
deeply  incensed,  as  the  reports  were  circulated,  and 
loudly  affirmed  their  ability  to  whip  out  all  the  forces  in 
Columbus.  This  caused  Col.  Howe  to  suggest  that  if 
they  could  whip  out  their  friends  with  such  arms,  they 
might  be  able  to  stand  a  good  brush  with  the  rebels  upon 
occasion,  and  the  mutiny  was  at  an  end. 

As  we  look  at  it  now,  after  three  years  experience  of 
the  stern  discipline  of  war,  terminating  as  it  did,  we  are 
not  sorry  it  occurred — not  even  for  the  reputation  of  the 
regiment.  Our  men  asked  for  nothing  but  what  was 
right ;  they  did  not  refuse  to  go  south,  or  to  fight ;  they 
only  asked  to  be  made  efficient.  Their  patriotism  and 
courage  did  not  suffer  in  the  least ;  and  the  officers  who 
took  the  same  view  were  honored  for  it.  And  yet  it 
had  to  result  in  unqualified  submission,  in  shouldering 
the  "old  blunderbusses,"  as  the  boys  called  them,  and 
going  on  board  the  cars.  Therefore,  as  the  honest, 
manly  protest  of  thinking  men,  we  are  proud  of  it  to 
day  ;  as  the  graceful  submission,  after  a  little,  of  men 
sworn  to  obey  military  orders  unquestioningly,  we  are 
equally  so.  There  the  civilian  and  the  soldier  met,  and 
the  soldier  triumphed,  as  was  inevitable  ;  but  the  honors 
were  equally  divided.  But  little  subsequent  reference 


2*2  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


was  made  to  the  affair  in  the  regiment,  or  in  any  military 
circles;  the  best  of  feeling  soon  prevailed,  and  all  went 
on  the  cars,  after  a  little  delay,  and  composed  themselves 
for  a  night  ride  to  Jackson,  waking  up  occasionally 
among  railroad  guards,  to  realize  they  were  at  last  in  a 
land  under  martial  law. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  28 


CHAPTER    III. 


|  Jackson. — "A  young  brigade." — Camp  under  the  poplars. — Our  as 
signment  and  commanders. — Picket. — Confiscation. — The  20th 
Illinois,  and  Sutler's  goods. — Mules,  and  the  Quartermaster's  ex 
perience. — Company  H  on  Provost  Guard.— Stoves. — Three  Com 
panies  get  new  rifles. — Conflicting  orders. — To  move  at  last. — Up 
all  night  to  be  ready  to  start. — To  Bolivar  by  cars. — Up  at  2,  to 
start  at  10. — Our  first  inarch. — Overcoats  all  right. — Company  F's 
calves. — Getting  into  camp. — Rails. — Camp  fires. — McAllister's 
Battery. — Astonished  at  the  column. — Dust  and  smoke. — Suffer 
ing. — Lagrange. — "So,  bossy." — On  picket. — A  dead  rebel. — Posi 
tive  orders. 


/^CTOBER  9TH,  at  3  \.  M.,  found  us  at  Jackson,  'ien- 
V^/  nessee,  a  thoroughly  "secesh"  town,  well  laid  out, 
and  beautifully  embowered,  though  rather  dingy,  and 
showing  the  effects  of  war.  We  marched  about  a  mile 
east  of  the  town,  into  a  beautiful  skirt  of  timber,  and 
were  told  that  was  to  be  our  camp — our  first  home  in 
"Dixie." 

We  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention  from  our  num 
bers,  and  were  frequently  called  "  a  young  brigade,"  by 
the  soldiers  we  met,  whose  ranks  had  been  sadly  deple- 


24  HISTORY  OF  THE  124111 


ted  by  their  past  service.  So  far  we  had  all  our  men  in 
line.  Not  a  detail  had  been  made  except  by  disease. 
But  we  soon  learned  what  assignments  and  details  could 
do  in  reducing  numbers. 

Our  location  was  lovely.  The  timber  was  the  chest 
nut  and  the  majestic  southern  poplar,  or  tulip  tree — 
Siriodendron  tulipifera.  The  foliage,  as  yet  untouched 
by  frost,  was  heavy,  entirely  shutting  out  the  sun.  The 
ground  was  very  even,  and  broom  sage  for  beddin'g 
abundant.  We  never  found  a  more  delightful  camp,  in 
many  respects,  than  this  our  first  one. 

Very  soon  our  tents  were  issued,  and  the  boys  took 
their  first  lessons  in  pitching  them,  and  in  the  order  and 
police  of  the  camp.  Capt.  Mann,  of  Company  B,  laid  it 
out  for  us.  It  was  amazing  how  soon  we  all  became  to 
pographical  engineers,  and  our  metes  and  bounds  were 
determined.  And  with  everything  new  and  tidy,  our 
camp  was  a  pride  to  all,  both  officers  and  men. 

We  found  ourselves  assigned  to  the  ist  Brigade,  3d 
Division,  i/th  Army  Corps,  consisting,  after  a  few 
changes,  of  the  2Oth,  3ist,  45th  and  124th  Illinois,  and 
the  23d  Indiana.  The  Brigade  was  commanded  by  Col. 
C.  C.  Marsh,  of  the  2Oth  Illinois  ;  the  Division  by  Brig. 
Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  formerly  of  the  3ist  Illinois,  and 
the  Corps  by  Maj.  Gen.  J.  B.  McPherson.  The  Depart 
ment  was  under  General  Grant,  then  at  Bolivar.  Our 
Brigade  and  Division  commanders  came  out  to  greet  us 
on  our  arrival,  and  the  next  day  made  us  a  ceremonious 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  25 

"visit,"  with  their  staffs,  treating  us  most  cordially,  and 
evidently  pleased  with  our  numbers  and  appearance. 

Our  first  duty  was  picket.  All  the  roads  were  heavily 
guarded  from  two  to  three  miles  out,  and  our  details 
soon  became  heavy.  But  as  the  weather  was  fine  and 
the  country  a  novelty,  the  boys  rather  liked  it,  and 
more  especially  as  it  gave  them  a  chance  to  gather  chest 
nuts,  beechnuts  and  persimmons,  and  perhaps  to  "con 
fiscate"  a  small  "swine.  "  The  latter  was  almost  sure  to 
be  the  case,  if  the  rebel  porkers  took  any  liberties,  for 
the  orders  were  very  strict  against  allowing  any  "run 
ning  the  guard."  It  is  true,  orders  were  equally  strict 
against  confiscation,  but  the  dignity  of  the  guard  was 
always  at  stake  when  the  unlucky  pig  sought  to  pass, 
and  that  settled  the  question  for  him.  The  other  order 
was  a  general  one,  and  the  army  in  general  might  obey 
it.  His  first  duty  was  that  of  a  picket.  This  view  had 
its  little  drawbacks,  ho\vever,  but  they  were  usually  more 
annoying  than  serious.  One  day  two  of  Company  C's 
men  were  caught  by  the  ever  vigilant  aids  of  the  Brigade 
commander,  in  the  heinous  act  of  dressing  a  small  hog 
that  had  sought  to  evade  their  notice  at  their  post. 
Verbal  orders  were  immediately  issued  to  Lieut.  Col. 
Howe  to  stop  two  months'  pay  against  them.  He  issued 
the  same  verbal  orders  to  Captain  Field,  as  in  duty 
bound,  but  delicately  hinted  that  verbal  military  orders 
of  such  a  character  he  feared  were  not  binding,  conse 
quently  the  pay  was  not  stopped.  Neither  was  the  kill 
ing  of  hogs. 


26  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


But  while  upon  this  subject  we  would  mention  that  a 
very  salutary,  though  severe  lesson,  was  taught  the 
whole  command  at  Bolivar,  soon  after,  in  the  matter  of 
confiscation  A  number  of  men  of  the  2Oth  Illinois 
confiscated  the  contents  of  two  Sutler's  tents,  which  re 
sulted  in  the  dismissal  from  the  service  of  the  two  high 
est  officers  ot  the  Regiment,  and  the  assessment  of  $1200 
against  its  pay-rolls. 

Quartermaster  Reece  again  began  to  improve  his 
opportunities  by  organizing  his  forces.  This  he  did 
with  Walter  M.  McAuley,  of  Company  B,  as  Wagon 
Master,  and  an  efficient  corps  of  teamsters,  one  in  which 
there  was  very  little  change  to  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
then  proceeded  to  "  draw  mules. "  His  story  shall  be 
told  in  his  own  language,  copied  from  his  diary:  "I 
often  laugh  at  that  day's  experience;  there  I  was,  fresh 
from  the  counting-room  and  handling  ledgers,  tramping 
around  in  the  mud,  giving  my  opinions  with  a  knowing 
look,  as  to  the  good  points  of  the  poorest,  thinnest, 
and  worst  used  up  mules  that  were  ever  gathered 
together  in  any .  country — the  fag  end  of  all  mule- 
dom.  The  '  corral  '  was  filled  with  animals  that  had 
been  condemned  as  worn  out  in  the  service,  the  refuse 
of  the  army  that  had  been  operating  around  Corinth. 
The  result  was  78  mules,  enough  for  13  teams,  and  you 
can  imagine  how  proud  I  was  to  march  into  camp  with 
this  beautiful  collection  of  '  bones. '  But  the  boys  con 
soled  me  by  saying,  that  when  once  in  the  enemy's 
country,  they  would  develope  trading  qualities  that  would 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  27 

astonish  me.  How  well  they  kept  their  word,,  every 
man  in  the  Regiment,  and  the  rebels  along  the  line  of  our 
marches,  can  testify." 

One  thing  deserves  to  be  mentioned  here,  which  is, 
that  our  regiment,  large  as  it  was,  was  allowed  no  more 
transportation  than  the  depleted  ones,  with  less  than 
half  the  number  of  men  ;  only  the  regulation  13  teams. 
But  as  yet  we  did  not  feel  this. 

Our  drill  was  constant,  the  men  rapidly  laying  the 
foundations  for  the  superiority  they  afterwards  attained. 
Company  H  was  detached  as  Provost  Guard,  with  quar 
ters  in  the  Court  House.  We  looked  upon  this  as  a 
piece  of  good  fortune  on  their  part,  and  kept  on  with 
our  drill. 

About  this  time  stoves  began  to  be  popular,  as  the 
weather  was  growing  colder.  A  kind  of  sheet-iron  affair, 
which  we  foolishly  t  ought  we  could  carry,  and  for  which 
we  paid  "  secesh  "  tinners  a  good  many  dollars  ;  a  folly 
we  did  not  repeat.  Ever  after  we  preferred  to  confiscate 
brick  and  build  fireplaces.  They  were  more  cheery  and 
far  less  expensive.  Our  tents  were  put  up  on  split  logs, 
as  we  were  able  to  accomplish  so  much,  good  bunks 
were  made,  and  many  of  the  boys  constructed  log  kitch 
ens,  which  made  their  quarters  very  comfortable.  A 
great  improvement  over  Camp  Butler. 

Three  of  our  companies  drew  new  guns,  a  very  pretty 
piece,  of  the  Austrian  pattern,  so  called.  They  gave 
great  satisfaction  to  their  lucky  possessors,  and  were  the 
envy  of  the  rest.  But  ultimately  these,  as  well  as  the 


28  HISTORY  OF  THE 


others,  gave  place  to   the    "Knfield,"   the  standard  in 
fantry  piece. 

Toward  the  last  of  October,  we  began  to  hear  of  march 
ing  orders,  and  on  Sunday,  the  26th,  they  came,  and  all 
was  astir.  Descriptive-rolls  were  made  out  for  our  sick, 
and  we  were  ready  for  a  start,  but  we  did  not  move. 
Monday  passed  in  waiting,  and  on  Tuesday  we  were  on 
battalion  drill  again.  The  2gth  marching  orders  were 
repeated,  to  move  at  daylight,  with  ten  days'  rations 
and  200  rounds  of  ammunition.  In  about  an  hour  they 
were  countermanded,  and  the  next  day  orders  came  to 
prepare  winter  quarters,  which  we  all  relished,  as  we  had 
just  had  quite  a  snow  storm.  Really,  if  the  enemy  had 
sought  to  learn  what  we  were  going  to  do,  all  we  knew 
would  not  have  helped  them  much. 

But  marching  orders  came  for  certain,  the  evening  of 
the  ist  of  November,  and  so  anxious  were  we.  or  our 
officers,  to  be  ready,  that  we  sat  up  all  night  to  make 
sure.  Some  would  have  secured  a  little  sleep,  but  about 
i  o'clock  the  order  came  from  Colonel  Sloan,  who  had 
reached  us  a  few  days  previous,  to  fill  our  canteens,  as 
there  was  no  water  on  the  road.  Besides,  our  tents 
were  all  struck  over  night,  lest  there  should  not  be  time 
to  do  it  in  the  morning.  How  the  recollection  of  such 
verdancy  amuses  us  now,  after  learning  to  sleep  soundly 
in  our  tents  till  the  drums  began  to  beat  "fall  in." 

We  were  in  line  at  4  o'clock,  Sunday  morning,  No 
vember  2d,  with  our  knapsacks  and  cartridge-boxes  on, 
and  officers  mounted.  After  a  long  time,  productive  of 


[LLINOIS  INFANTRY,  29 


uncanny  speech  and  foolish  actions,  we  marched  to  the 
depot,  where  there  was  no  stir,  to  wait  again.  Towards 
8  o'clock  the  other  regiments  began  to  put  in  a  tardy 
appearance,  as  we  thought,  though  we  noticed  they  were 
quite  soon  enough  for  the  transportation.  Finally  we 
took  possession  of  a  number  of  "  flats,"  and  were  ofTfor 
Holivar,  which  we  reached  about  noon.  Here  we  found 
ourselves,  brigade  as  we  were,  only  a  small  part  of  what 
appeared  to  be  a  great  army,  and  the  accumulation  of 
war  material  was  perfectly  surprising.  We  bivouacked 
about  a  mile  from  the  depot,  in  a  very  pleasant  spot  by 
a  stream,  with  only  the  few  trees  and  the  heavens  over 
us,  and  the  broad  earth  for  our  chamber  and  bed.  The 
experience  of  the  previous  night  proved  a  soporific,  and 
after  a  good  wash  and  a  draft  upon  our  haversacks,  most 
of  us  surrendered  unconditionally  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  we  were  up  at  2  o'clock,  and  ail 
was  bustle  for  breakfast.  This  was  not  as  bad  as  the 
night  before,  but  was  quite  bad  enough,  for  our  line  was 
not  formed  till  10,  and  we  did  not  move  till  some  time 
after.  While  in  line  we  received  a  mail,  the  last  we  ex 
pected  to  get  for  a  long  time,  but  in  this  we  were  agree 
ably  mistaken. 

At  last  we  began  to  move,  and  soon  found  ourselves, 
for  the  first  time,  a  part  of  an  advancing  army,  with  its 
officers  and  their  staffs  and  escorts,  its  artillery,  cavalry, 
infantry,  and  trains  stretched  out  indefinitely.  It  was 
wonderful  to  us.  Its  order  was  chaotic.  Its  array  \vas 
bewildering.  But  we  were  in  our  places,  and  that  was 


80  HISTORY  OF  THE 


all  that  was  required  of  us  just  then.  We  started  off 
with  alacrity,  being  all  perfectly  fresh,  and  though  the 
day  was  dry  and  hot,  and  we  were  so  heavily  loaded, 
kept  it  up  well.  But  our  ignorance  of  marching  told 
against  us.  We  really  had  no  conception  of  the  weari 
ness  of  the  way.  Other  regiments,  knowing  what  was 
before  them,  carried  lighter  loads,  and  as  we  would  move 
by  them  in  forming,  or  they  by  us,  would  notice  our 
heavy  overcoats  strapped  on  our  plethoric  knapsacks, 
and  call  out,  "  we  will  have  your  overcoats  before  night.  " 
Our  boys  knew  full  well  what  this  all  meant  before  the 
day  was  over,  but  the  other  regiments  did  not  get  our 
overcoats.  We  made  about  eleven  miles  in  the  heat 
and  dust,  which  was  a  good  beginning. 

About  4  o'clock  five  or  six  calves  were  observed  by 
the  road-side,  looking  with  apparent  interest  upon  our 
moving  column.  They  were  some  six  months  old,  and 
in  good  condition,  and  many  a  soldier  cast  a  wolfish  eye 
upon  them.  But  as  the  ranks  were  unbroken  and  mov 
ing,  they  appeared  to  be  perfectly  safe.  And  so  they 
were  till  Company  F  came  along,  for  no  one  could  stop 
to  molest  them,  or  dared  to,  with  the  eyes  of  so  many 
subaltern  aids  upon  them.  But  the  boys  of  F  just 
opened  their  files,  and  hovering  the  unlucky  calves  into 
their  marching  ranks,  partially  covered  them  with  over 
coats  and  blankets,  and  kept  them  along  as  though  noth 
ing  had  happened.  No  one  who  saw  it  will  ever  forget 
the  look  of  Fred.  Statz,  as  he  smiled  benignly  on  those 
new  recruits.  The  reason  as  we  afterwards  learned  was, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  31 


Statz  was  a  butcher.  On  we  moved  till  at  last  a  skirt  of 
woods  was  reached,  and  all  at  once  the  line  halted  from 
some  obstruction  in  front.  Company  F  was  seen  to 
gradually  deflect  into  the  bushes  with  unbroken  files, 
till  out  of  sight.  In  a  moment  a  bawl  was  heard  by 
every  ear,  sure  precursor  of  others,  we  thought,  and  of 
the  presence  of  angry  aids  and  dire  disaster.  But  Maj. 
Pattison  being  near,  comprehended  the  situation  in  an 
instant,  and  called  out  in  stentorian  tones,  "music,  beat 
up  there,"  and  immediately  our  drums  and  fifes  were 
played  as  if  for  dear  life,  and  the  other  calves  might  have 
split  their  throats  with  bawling  without  any  danger  of 
being  heard.  It  is  almost  superfluous  to  add  that  the 
musicians  and  the  Major  had  veal  for  supper. 

As  this  was  our  first  march,  so  this  was  our  first  ex 
perience  getting  into  camp  with  an  army.  The  long 
halts  and  short  advances  were  an  enigma  to  us,  like 
almost  everything  else.  But  we  soon  learned  why, 
though  this  night's  experience,  like  many  others  after, 
failed  to  prove  it  pleasant ;  still  there  was  but  little  cause 
for  complaint,  and  ere  the  night  fully  shut  in,  we  found 
ourselves  in  a  very  comfortable  camp,  with  plenty  of 
rails  gathered,  both  for  fuel  and  sleeping  between,  and 
our  fires  all  lighted.  It  was  a  sight  never  to  be  forgot 
ten,  those  thousands  of  blazing  fires,  springing  up  in 
lurid  brightness,  as  if  by  magic,  with  the  weird  forms 
flitting  about  among  them,  while  the  murmur  of  voices, 
and  the  neighing  of  horses  and  braying  of  mules,  added 
not  a  little  to  the  wiidness  of  the  scene.  For  myself, 


32  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

through  the  kindness  of  an  officer  from  the  28th  Illinois, 
who  had  been  in  the  service  much  longer  than  we,  I  had 
cove  oysters,  sardines,  and  pine  apple  for  supper,  to 
eke  out  the  stores  of  my  own  haversack — not  a  very 
common  bill  of  fare  on  such  a  march. 

There  were  said  to  be  upward  of  20,000  men  in  the 
column,  under  Logan,  Lauman  and  Veach,  as  division 
commanders,  and  expecting  to  be  joined  by  other  forces 
from  Corinth,  at  some  point  below.  We  were  informed 
that  we  were  expected  to  support  McAllister's  battery, 
of  two  sections  of  rifled  24-pounders.  We  looked  with 
a  great  deal  of  interest  at  the  wide-throated  monsters, 
and  wondered  what  our  future  with  them  should  be. 

The  next  day  we  moved  over  fifteen  miles  Our  con 
ceptions  of  the  magnitude  of  the  column,  and  the  move 
ment  of  an  army  were  more  perfect  than  before,  as  the 
start  was  more  immediately  under  our  notice.  But  we 
soon  became  used  to  all  this,  and  that  which  astonished 
us  at  first,  was  thenceforth  scarcely  thought  of. 

Our  sufferings  this  day  were  very  great,  on  account  of 
the  heat,  smoke,  dust  and  want  of  water.  The  troops 
ahead — the  cavalry,  doubtless,  for  infantry  never  do 
such  things — had  fired  the  fences  by  the  roadside,  and 
many  of  the  buildings,  which  made  the  smoke,  at  times, 
almost  suffocating  ;  the  sun  was  fearfully  hot  for  such 
clothing  as  we  wore,  and  such  loads  as  we  carried,  while 
the  dust  was  blinding.  We  never  saw  anything  like  it  ; 
it  was  said  horses  ran  against  trees,  because  they  could 
not  see  them.  It  coated  us  perfectly,  being  mixed  with 


INFANTRY.  33 


the  perspiration,  till  a  mother  would  scarcely  know  her 
son.  We  could  easily  have  passed  for  contrabands. 
Our  canteens  were  empty ;  of  brooks  there  were  none, 
and  before  half-a-dozen  could  be  supplied  from  a  well, 
the  rope  or  chain  would  be  broken  in  the  scramble,  the 
the  bucket  at  the  bottom,  and  the  needed  water  en 
tirely  out  of  reach.  Many  of  the  boys  carried  their 
overcoats  through  on  the  taunts  of  the  previous  day. 
A  great  many  were  really  broken  down,  in  spite  of  their 
grit ;  the  ambulances  were  full,  and  the  officers  were 
loaded  with  muskets,  cartridge  boxes,  and  even  knap 
sacks,  to  help  the  poor  sufferers,  who,  but  for  such 
assistance,  could  not  have  reached  camp.  We  often 
marched  farther  in  a  day  after  that,  sometimes  nearly 
double  the  distance,  but  never  suffered  so  much  again. 

Just  after  dark  we  reached  Lagrange,  and  our  line 
was  formed  a  few  rods  east  of  Lagrange  Synodical  Col 
lege,  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  While  we  were  stack 
ing  arms,  a  very  fine  cow  came  leisurely  up  within  a 
few  steps  in  our  rear,  and  one  or  two  of  our  boys,  not 
in  line,  and  not  having  the  fear  of  the  rebels  or  Colonel 
Marsh's  aids  before  their  eyes,  began  to  cultivate  her 
acquaintance.  They  stroked  her  glossy  hide,  and  lay 
ing  hold  of  her  horns,  said,  "so,  bossy,"  in  soothing 
tones,  till  a  reinforcement  arrived  with  a  hatchet,  knock 
ed  her  down,  dressed  her,  and  buried  her  head,  hide 
and  entrails,  in  a  little  more  time  than  it  takes  to  tell 
the  story.  Soon  after  a  Captain  from  the  left  of  the  reg 
iment,  passing  by,  hit  a  horn  with  his  foot,  and  kindly 


34  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2_fTH 


remarked,  "Boys,  you  had  better  bury  that  a  little 
deeper."  The  boys  took  the  hint,  and  sent  him  a  piece 
of  beef.  So  neatly  was  the  thing  done,  that  the  Colonel 
was  really  indignant  the  next  day,  that  his  regiment 
should  be  accused  of  such  a  transaction. 

Before  our  coffee  could  be  pounded  and  made,  and 
our  beef  roasted  on  sticks,  a  detail  came  for  picket,  and 
twenty-five  men  from  each  company  were  ordered  out, 
fully  officered.  After  making  the  "grand  rounds"  of 
all  the  headquarters  for  instruction,  because  no  one 
knew  where  to  report,  we  marched  about  two  miles  fur 
ther  and  reached  our  destination  about  midnight.  We 
immediately  proceeded  to  make  ourselves  as  comforta 
ble  as  possible,  though  we  were  so  far  into  rebeldom 
now  that  danger  was  considered  imminent,  and  the  men 
on  duty  were  cautioned  to  be  extremely  vigilant.  Con 
sequently,  at  one  post,  the  reserve  had  but  little  more 
than  become  quiet,  when  the  picket  discharged  his  mus 
ket.  Upon  going  to  him  he  was  found  to  be  coolly 
re-loading,  and  he  said  he  had  shot  at  a  rebel,  who  was 
skulking  upon  him  in  the  bushes,  and  he  thought  he 
had  killed  him,  for  he  had  heard  him  groan  since  he 
fired.  Lieut.  Cowdery,  in  command,  made  examina 
tion,  and  there  was  a  dead  rebel,  sure  enough.  The 
shot  had  been  a  fatal  one;  but  unfortunately  for  the 
heroics  of  the  case,  the  victim  was  clad  in  bristles  instead 
of  the  grey,  and  the  exigencies  of  the  hour  demanded 
his  flaying.  However,  fresh  pork  was  abundant  in  one 
company  the- next  morning. 


ILLIVOIS  INFANTRY.  35 


Owing  to  the  loss  of  the  cow  previously  mentioned, 
with  other  animals,  serious  complaints  began  to5  be  made 
by  the  good  Unionists  of  Lagrange.  and  very  strict 
orders  were  issued  agaidst  foraging.  Our  boys,  being 
for  the  most  part  law-abiding,  as  the  foregoing  proves, 
really  thought,  from  the  Colonel  down,  that  these  orders 
were  to  be  obeyed.  But  the  old  regiments  paid  little 
attention  to  them,  and  their  boys,  to  disguise  themselves 
when  caught,  would  frequently  claim  to  belong  to  the 
"Hundred  and  two  dozen."  This  would  be  repeated  at 
Headquarters  by  the  suffering  citizens.  And  so  it  came 
to  pass,  that  it  was  honestly  believed  by  many  that  we 
were  a  "bad  lot,"  and  upon  Lieut.  Col.  Howe's  going 
to  see  if  we  could  draw  rations  of  fresh  meat,  he  was 
told  we  could  steal  our  living.  He  politely  replied,  "If 
those  are  the  orders  from  these  Headquarters,  they  will 
be  obeyed." 


36  HISTORY  OF  THE  12 


CHAPTER    IV. 


u Inflation. " — Camp  equipage  arrives. — More  comfortable. — Guarding 
rebel  property. — Drill. —A  30th  Illinois  boy  disgusted. — Grand  re 
view. — A  day  on  picket. — Relieving  guard  at  the  depot. — Off  again. — 
The  Quartermaster's  troubles. — Into  Mississippi. — Holly  Springs. — 
Hear  firing. — Tents  come  up.  and  how. — Lumpkin's  mill. — Abbie- 
ville.  — Rebs  "skedaddled. " — Raining  hard.  —Across  the  Tallahatchie . 
and  through  the  mud  single  file  to  Oxford. — In  the  advance,  and 
what  comes  of  it. — To  the  Yacona. — Van  Dorn  in  our  rear. — ''About, 
face. "— Improvement  in  transportation. — In  camp  on  the  Talla 
hatchie.  — Short  rations.  — Drawing  corn,  etc. 

OUR  TRANSPORTATION  had  been  left  at  Jackson. 
The  Quartermaster  and  his  teamsters  had  practiced 
"inflation"  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  but  the  obsti 
nate  mules  had  declined  ta  inflate.  No  feeding  seemed 
to  reach  their  case.  So  the  baggage  was  put  on  the 
cars,  and  the  teams  started  through  with  empty  wagons. 
This  was  risky,  as  they  were  unguarded,  but  no  harm 
befel  them.  At  Bolivar  the  wagons  were  loaded,  and  on 
the  iith  of  November  we  were  gladdened  by  the  sight 
of  our  tents  again.  We  immediately  moved  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile,  into  a  beautiful  skirt  of  timber,  and 
pitched  them,  and  soon  were  at  home  once  more.  Here 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  37 


we  split  puncheon  and  obtained  boards,  and  floored  our 
tents  nicely,  which  added  not  a  little  to  our  comfort  and 
health.  We  needed  this,  as  sickness  had  begun  to  tell 
sadly  upon  our  ranks,  and  many  of  our  noble  boys  had 
died.  Whisky  rations  were  also  issued  for  our  health, 
but  by  many  they  were  poured  upon  the  ground.  Our 
Surgeon  believed  commissary  whisky  and  quinine  were 
a  prophylactic,  but  very  many  of  the  regiment  disagreed 
with  him  and  claimed  the  privileges  of  independent 
thought  and  conviction.  So  they  poured  the  whisky  on 
the  ground. 

We  had  a  little  experience  guarding  rebel  property  at 
Lagrange,  to  which  we  did  not  take  kindly.  We  found 
the  men  all  away  from  home  except  the  invalids  and 
aged,  and  the  strange  mingling  of  rebel  bitterness  with 
women's  tears  failed  to  reach  our  sympathies.  It  was 
very  trying  for  an  officer  to  have  to  drive  off  his  own 
men — his  friends  and  neighbors  whom  he  had  known 
and  valued  for  years — and  sometimes  with  hard  words 
and  threats,  from  the  property  of  those  who  would  have 
rejoiced  to  see  him  and  them  shot  down  like  dogs,  could 
it  have  been  done  safely  ;  to  defend  those  in  whose 
presence  he  did  not  believe  his  own  life  secure  for  a 
minute.  This  was  our  first  and  last  of  this  kind  of  duty, 
save  in  a  general  way  as  provost  guard. 

Our  time  was  fully  occupied  ;  when  not  on  duty  we 
were  on  drill.  This  varied  from  company  to  battalion, 
and  from  battalion  to  brigade.  The  latter  was  impos 
ing,  and  sometimes  deeply  interesting.  We  made  good 


38  HISTORY  OF  THE 


proficiency  while  here,  in  all  that  makes  the  soldier,  save 
fighting,  and  already  attracted  the  attention  of  military 
critics  by  our  discipline  and  bearing. 

A  laughable  incident  occurred  in  the  3Oth  Illinois, 
during  one  ol  those  brigade  drills,  for  which  Lagrange 
was  famous.  The  whole  command  was  executing,  "On 
the  right  by  file,  double  quick,  march,"  when  a  soldier 
on  the  extreme  left  became  detached  so  far  from  the  rest 
of  his  regiment,  that  he  stopped  short,  brought  his 
piece  from  a  "right  shoulder-shift"  to  the  ground  with 
a  thump,  and  called  out,  "There,  by  thunder,  I'll  not 
budge  another  inch  till  I  get  my  Descriptive  Roll." 

November  2ist,  we  had  our  first  inspection  of  arms, 
followed  by  a  Grand  Review  by  Generals  Grant,  Mc- 
Pherson  and  Logan,  with  the  whole  division  under  arms. 
It  was  the  grandest  pageant  we  had  yet  seen;  "the 
pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war." 

About  this  time  a  portion  of  the  regiment  was  sta 
tioned,  on  an  especially  fine  day,  upon  the  highest  hill 
in  all  the  country,  south  of  our  camp,  on  picket.  The 
view  was  magnificent.  Most  of  our  camps  were  visible, 
while  a  large  part  of  our  forces  were  in  sight,  either 
drilling  or  passing  in  review.  Away  to  the  southeast, 
another  army,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  about  two  miles 
distant,  was  in  the  field,  whose  evolutions  and  flashing 
arms  were  plainly  discernable  ;  and  the  rattle  of  drums 
and  shouting  of  orders  were  borne  to  our  ears  from 
every  quarter.  It  looked  as  though  we  must  be  able  to 
take  the  world  if  we  chose,  as  though  we  were  perfect!)' 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  39 


invincible.  And  later,  when  Price  retreated  before  us, 
we  thought  it  a  proof  of  his  good  sense,  and  wondered  if 
we  should  ever  see  a  rebel  in  arms;  if  they  would  ever 
dare  to  make  a  stand  before  such  an  overwhelming 
force. 

A  very  sharp  trick  was  practiced  here  by  some  boys 
of  another  regiment,  at  the  depot  of  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  road.  A  large  quantity  of  commissary  and 
sutler's  stores  were  lying  on  the  platform,  under  a  heavy 
guard.  A  few  minutes  before  time  to  relieve  guard, 
some  time  in  the  night,  but  so  near  as  to  excite  no  sus 
picion,  the  relief  came,  and  the  weary,  sleepy  boys  on 
duty,  left  for  their  rest.  When  a  few  minutes  later  the 
real  relief  came,  they  found  no  one  to  relieve ;  no 
guards  at  their  posts.  And  it  soon  appeared  that  a 
false  guard  had  been  on  extra  duty,  had  broken  open 
sugar  barrels,  tobacco  boxes,  and  other  packages,  and 
helped  themselves  with  a  liberal  hand,  and  gone.  Who 
they  were  was  never  known,  but  all  learned  that  it  was 
well  to  make  sure  who  constituted  the  relieving  guard. 

Thanksgiving  day,  November  2/th,  we  received 
marching  orders,  and  the  next  day  the  whole  army 
moved.  We  were  up  at  three,  for  starting  on  a  march 
was  still  a  great  thing  with  us,  but  we  did  not  move  till 
eight.  Then  we  headed  south  into  Mississippi. 

And  now  we  were  expected,  for  the  first  time,  to  take 
everything  with  us.  This  made  our  Quartermaster, 
with  his  thirteen  skeleton  teams,  far  from  a  happy  man, 
and  more  especially  as  many  of  the  officers  had  just 


40  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 

been  providing  themselves  with  mess-chests  quite  up  to 
the  regulation  pattern,  while  it  was  hinted  some  had  been 
gathering  relics  for  northern  college  museums.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  it  was  found  when  the  wagons  had  been  fully 
loaded,  that  the  tents  and  effects  of  three  whole  com 
panies  were  as  yet  untouched.  Recourse  was  had  to 
the  brigade  commander,  who  had  previously  returned, 
disapproved,  several  requisitions  for  more  transportation. 

He  said,  "Why  in haven't  you  drawn  more  teams  ?" 

Upon  being  told,  he  angrily  replied,  "If  your  teams  are 
not  in  line  at  6  o'clock,  I  will  attend  to  your  case. " 
Probably  his  shoulder-straps  saved  him  from  a  little 
trouble  about  that  time.  The  Quartermaster  returned 
to  the  regiment  and  reported  his  failure.  All  sympa 
thized  with  him,  but  that  would  not  carry  tents.  There 
we  were,  with  900  men,  and  no  more  transportation 
than  regiments  having  only  400.  But  the  teams  we  had 
were  in  line  at  6,  and  started  with  us,  while  the  Quar 
termaster  and  his  Sergeant,  Durley,  staid  behind  with 
the  rest  of  the  baggage.  This  they  succeeded  in  storing 
in  a  warehouse  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  then  pushed 
on  for  the  regiment.  The  next  .day  Reece  reported  the 
case  to  Gen.  Logan  in  the  field.  He  asked  Col.  Marsh, 
the  brigade  commander,  with  a  surprised  and  indignant 
look,  what  this  all  meant.  He  replied  that  it  was  the 
first  he  had  ever  heard  of  it.  The  Quartermaster  then 
told  the  whole  story,  or,  as  he  says,  "relieved  his  mind.  " 
The  result  was  an  order  on  the  Post  Quartermaster  back 
at  Lagrange  for  three  more  teams,  which  was  duly  hon- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY;  41 


ored,  the  baggage  loaded,  and  the  command  overtaken 
at  Holly  Springs — the  Chaplain,  Quartermaster  and 
three  men  having  taken  the  train  through,  with  only  one 
revolver  to  defend  themselves  with  in  case  of  an  attack. 
Perilous,  but  nothing  succeeds  like  success.  Once,  on 
Hearing  Holly  Springs,  they  thought  they  were  "gob 
bled,"  sure  enough,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  company  of 
our  cavalry  that  had  alarmed  them.  The  affair  gave 
Gen.  Logan  a  place  in  the  hearts  and  confidence  of  our 
men  which  he  never  lost,  and  to  which  his  subsequent 
kindly  acts  proved  him  to  be  richly  entitled. 

The  first  day  south  of  Lagrange  we  moved  about  ten 
miles,  going  into  camp  in  a  cornfield  at  ten  at  night. 
The  next  day  was  fine,  we  started  early,  and  went  into 
camp  at  three,  on  the  Coldvvater,  five  miles  from  Holly 
Springs.  On  the  way  we  had  been  joined  by  other 
forces,  largely  swelling  our  numbers.  We  enjoyed  the 
early  camp  and  the  running  water,  and  to  add  to  our  de 
light,  received  a  mail. 

At  one  o'clock,  Sunday,  November  3Oth,  we  marched 
into  Holly  Springs,  the  county  seat  of  Marshall  county, 
Mississippi,  a  noted  rebel  village,  and  went  into  camp 
just  across  the  railroad,  east  of  town.  Firing  had  been 
heard  to  the  southwest  from  about  1 1  o'clock,  which  be 
came  quite  heavy  and  brisk  later  in  the  day.  It  was  the 
first  we  had  heard,  and  made  us  hope  Price  would  really 
show  fight  after  all. 

The  afternoon  was  showery  and  became  quite  threat 
ening  toward  night  to  us  who  were  tentless,  but  just 


42  HJSTOKY  OF  THK  124111 

before  dark,  who  should  dawn  upon  us  but  Reece,  with 
his  face  flushed  with  the  joy  of  his  transportation  vic 
tory,  and  followed  by  his  grand  procession  of  sixteen 
six-mule  teams,  bringing  all  our  baggage.  Few  of 
us  knew  what  he  had  risked  and  accomplished,  but 
we  knew  how  glad  we  were  to  see  him.  Our  tents  were 
eagerly  seized  and  rapidly  pitched,  but  none  too  soon, 
for  many  of  us  were  well  soaked  before  it  was  accom 
plished,  as  the  rain  fell  like  a  deluge.  No  tents  were 
ditched  around  for  want  of  time,  and  sleeping  was  almost 
impossible.  It  is  said  of  Capt.  Tenny  and  ' '  Al.  Sayles, " 
that  being  kept  up  by  a  young  Mississippi  that  ran  under 
their  tent,  they  stood  up  and  played  checkers  all  night, 
with  wonderful  resignation.  The  rain  continued  until 
near  morning,  accompanied  with  incessant  lightning  and 
thunder,  and  then  it  became  quite  cold. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  for  the  boys  to  see  to 
do  it,  they  went  to  ditching,  filling  up  puddles  and  mak 
ing  themselves  secure  against  similar  floods.  But  orders 
came  to  move,  and  directly  we  had  swept  our  cotton 
city  out  of  existence,  and  were  on  the  wing  for  Abbie- 
ville.  We  pushed  along  briskly  till  near  night,  when 
we  encamped  at  Lumpkin's  mill,  in  view  of  Waterford, 
•where  we  found  McArthur's  division  moving  toward  the 
front  from  their  camp,  as  we  were  going  into  ours. 

December  2d  we  were  early  astir,  expecting  a  fight. 
We  were  ordered  to  leave  our  knapsacks  and  weak  men. 
and  Dr.  Kay  assured  us  that  orders  had  been  received 
to  clear  the  ambulances,  for  the  enemy  were  expected 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  43 


to  make  a  stand  on  the  Tallahathie.  We  marched 
rapidly  on  till  about  I  I  o'clock,  when  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  rebel  earthworks  north  of  the  river,  to  find  them 
evacuated,  and  the  enemy  said  to  be  in  full  tilt  south. 
It  commenced  raining  about  nine  o'clock  and  kept  it  up 
all  day,  most  of  the  time  pretty  hard.  We  turned  aside 
into  a  skirt  of  woods  and  bivouacked  without  a  blanket 
or  a  tent ;  with  not  even  a  rubber,  as  we  had  had  no 
opportunity  to  purchase  or  draw  any  such  thing  as  yet. 
McArthur's  division  again  moved  to  the  front,  crossing 
the  river  just  before  dark. 

The  next  morning  we  left  our  wet  leaves  and  smould 
ering  fires  quite  early,  without  any  great  difficulty,  and 
moved  down  to  the  river.  We  did  not  cross  till  nearly 
noon,  when  we  double-quicked  through  the  treacherous 
bottom  and  on,  past  McArthur's  division,  the  earth 
works,  Abbieville,  and  all  our  trains,  till  we  found  our 
selves  for  the  first  time  in  the  infantry  advance,  with  the 
untracked  mud  about  six  inches  deep.  The  day  became 
fine  and  on  we  pushed,  our  flank  movement  gradually 
thinning  into  single  file,  to  beat  a  path,  till  our  regiment 
must  have  been  two  miles  long.  Just  after  dark,  having 
come  eighteen  miles  since  noon,  we  straggled  through  the 
beautiful  village  of  Oxford,  and  went  into  camp  about 
half  a  mile  south  of  the  town.  There  were  scarcely  men 
enough  in  any  company  at  the  first,  to  locate  it  in  the 
line,  and  "stacking  arms"  was  one  of  the  lost  arts. 
But  soon  "where  is  Company  A?"  and  "where  is 
Company  H?"  etc.,  began  to  ring  out  in  every  direc 


44  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

tion,  and  shortly  the  boys  were  in,  and  even  strong 
enough  to  make  a  draw  upon  the  rebel  commissary,  for 
there  were  few  messes  but  what  had  bacon  and  sweet 
potatoes  the  next  morning,  while  sugar  and  tobacco 
were  strangely  abundant. 

W^  found  Oxford,  the  county  seat  of  Lafayette 
county,  Miss.,  to  be  a  very  pretty,  well  situated  and 
quite  busy  place.  It  is  the  seat  of  the  State  University, 
and  of  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Female  College.  The 
buildings  of  the  former  are  ample  and  pretentious,  and 
we  found  the  Professors  with  their  library,  apparatus, 
cabinets,  etc. ,  mostly  in  their  places,  though  a  part  of 
the  building  had  been  used  as  a  hospital,  and  we  so  con 
tinued  to  use  it.  But  all  of  the  officials  were  as  bitterly 
hostile  to  us,  as  though  we  were  of  another  race.  In 
doing  the  honors  of  the  buildings  and  grounds  for  us 
upon  occasion,  we  could  plainly  read  the  inward  curs 
ings  their  politeness  failed  to  hide.  It  hardly  seemed 
possible  that  we  had  been  born  under  the  same  flag,  had 
helped  to  sustain  and  loved  the  same  institutions,  spoke 
the  same  language,  and  up  to  within  a  few  short  months 
had  been  one  people,  so  cordially  did  they  hate  us. 
Some  of  our  regiment  were  detailed  to  the  office  of  the 
principal  paper,  to  print  military  blanks,  where  we  found 
the  evidences  of  ignorant  secession  abundant.  The  low 
est  and  vilest  of  prejudices  had  been  systematically  pan 
dered  to,  and  page  after  page  of  known  falsehoods  pub 
lished  for  the  sake  of  fostering  a  spirit  as  uncalled  for 
and  stupid,  as  it  was  devilish  and  cruel. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  45 

We  remained  here  about  a  week,  and  were  then  moved 
south  about  13  miles,  to  a  stream  called  the  Yacona, 
where  we  staid  from  the  I  ith  to  the  22d  of  December. 
The  time  was  spent  in  foraging-,  trying  to  be  comfort 
able,  listening  to  the  rumors  that  were  abundant,  and 
wondering  what  next.  Clothing  was  getting  a  little 
worn,  and  some  employed  themselves  grumbling  at  the 
Quartermaster  because  he  did  not  meet  all  their  de 
mands.  One  field  officer  here  filed  his  requisition  for  a 
tent,  and  was  greatly  annoyed  because  it  was  not  imme 
diately  honored.  The  Quartermaster  told  him  he  would 
make  out  the  papers,  and  possibly  VanDorn  would 
honor  them. 

One  of  the  many  rumors  with  which  the  air  was  filled 
was  now  verified.  It  was  not  that  Steele  had  taken 
Grenada,  or  Sherman  Vicksburg,  or  that  both  were 
marching  to  join  us  at  Coffeeville,  a  few  miles  below, 
much  as  we  wanted  such  rumors  to  be  true.  But  it  was 
one  that  struck  us  on  the  other  tack,  in  a  vulnerable 
quarter,  and  taught  us  that  the  foe  was  not  dead,  and 
even  we  might  fear  and  feel  him  yet,  invincible  though 
we  thought  we  were. 

It  had  been  rumored  that  our  communication  was  cut 
off  in  as  many  as  three  places  at  once,  and  Union  City, 
Trenton,  Jackson,  Corinth,  LaGrange  and  Holly  Springs 
had  each  in  turn  been  taken  and  burnt,  and  the  railroad 
demolished.  But  now  the  stern  fact  was,  Holly  Springs 
had  been  captured  by  VanDorn,  Col.  Murphy  of  the 
8th  Wisconsin  had  betrayed  his  trust  or  proved  incom- 


46  HISTORY  OF  THE   12 


petent,  and  all  our  supplies  had  been  destroyed.  The 
railroad  had  been  in  good  working  order  so  far.  and  a 
large  collection  of  quartermaster  and  commissary  stores 
and  ordnance  had  been  accumulated  there,  to  follow  us 
as  soon  as  the  necessary  repairs  across  the  Tallahatchie 
could  be  made.  But  the  blow  had  been  struck  by  the 
fleet  rebel,  and  a  retreat  was  inevitable. 

So,  on  the  morning  of  December  22d,  we  left  •  'Camp 
Turnabout,"  as  the  boys  ever  afterwards  called  it,  and 
began  to  retrace  our  steps.  This  was  the  only  retreat 
our  regiment  ever  knew,  and  this  was  without  having 
seen  an  enemy.  The  railroad  was  totally  destroyed 
behind  us,  and  we  pushed  on.  re-crossing  the  Talla 
hatchie  on  the  24th.  On  Christmas  day  we  moved 
camp  about  a  mile,  and  pitched  our  tents  in  a  skirt  of 
timber,  as  though  we  expected  to  remain  there  all 
winter. 

One  thing  our  regiment  had  gained  by  this  move 
ment  which  must  not  be  overlooked.  Says  Reece,  in 
his  admirable  way,  "when  we  left  Jackson  it  took  a 
whole  team  of  six  mules  to  make  a  shadow,  but  now  we 
have  as  fine  a  lot  of  mules  as  any  regiment  with  us,  and 
all  due  to  the  superior  trading  qualities  of  our  teamsters. 
Out  of  ninety-six  mules  that  we  started  from  Holly 
Springs  with,  only  twelve  remain,  and  this  change  has 
been  effected  without  a  requisition  on  Uncle  Sam." 

Here  we  spent  New  Year's  day,  and  remained  till 
the  5th  of  January.  1863,  spending  twelve  days  in  our 
Tallahatchie  home.  Our  commissary  had  gone  into 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  47 

bankruptcy,  and  the  question  of  subsistence  was  a  very 
serious  one.  First  we  were  put  upon  three-quarter, 
then  half,  and  soon  afterward  upon  one-quarter  rations. 
At  last  the  pinch  came,  and  corn  was  issued  in  the  ear 
to  eke  out  our  supplies.  Many  are  the  comical  recol 
lections  of  those  days.  General  Logan  came  through 
our  camp  at  one  time,  and  in  his  cheery  way  called  out, 
"How  are  you  getting  along,  boys?"  to  be  answered 
with,  "  Pretty  well,  General,  only  those  blamed  mules 
are  eating  up  all  our  rations."  So  far  did  they  carry 
the  joke  that  Commissary  Sergeant  Nye  says,  a  guard 
had  to  be  set  over  the  mules  at  feeding  to  keep  the  boys 
from  filling  their  haversacks.  Certain  it  is  that  at  draw 
ing  time  some  of  the  boys  would  harness  up  in  four  and 
six  mule  fashion,  with  bits  of  old  gear,  and  come  with  a 
driver,  furiously  neighing  for  their  feed.  Others  again 
would  go  down  on  all  fours,  and  grunt  and  squeal,  pick 
ing  it  up  in  their  teeth,  and  making  all  manner  of  sport 
in  the  emergency.  Surely  the  straits  could  not  have  been 
very  desperate.  This  was  the  first  and  last  time  we  were 
ever  on  limited  rations. 

Foraging  was  conducted  on  a  grand  scale.  A  hundred 
wagons  at  once  would  go  out  fifteen,  twenty,  and  even 
twenty-five  miles  for  supplies,  escorted  by  whole  regi 
ments  of  infantry,  with  cavalry  and  artillery,  and  com 
manded  by  Generals  of  divisions.  Such  occasions,  with 
our  commissariat  so  low,  brought  the  average  "bum 
mer  "  rapidly  into  notice,  and  actually  made  a  hero  of 
him  in  the  camp  on  his  return.  It  is  really  questionable 


48  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241*11 


if  the  vicinity  of  Holly  Springs  had  much  cause  to  feli 
citate  itself  on  the  results  of  the  VanDorn  burning, 
when  our  protracted  stay  and  foraging  were  taken  into 
the  account. 

When  on  these  expeditions,  the  boys  usually  managed 
to  get  what  they  called  one  "square  meal."  and  their 
experiences  were  often  deeply  interesting.  On  one 
occasion  the  Quartermaster  and  Charlie  Miles  were  in 
dulging  in  a  breakfast,  some  distance  from  the  train,  on 
a  lonely  road,  where  the  usual  member  of  ' '  War-wid 
ows  "  was  found,  when  a  boy  was  observed  being  put 
upon  a  horse,  and  directed  down  a  back  road  by  one  of 
the  ladies.  Miles  insisted  that  the  movement  meant 
guerrillas,  who  were  doubtless  lurking  near,  but  Reece, 
that  it  only  meant  to  save  the  horse.  Miles'  appetite 
failed  him,  however,  and  when  he  proposed  to  go,  the 
widows  were  so  anxious  for  him  to  stay,  that  Reece 
concluded  it  meant  guerrillas  too,  and  both  hastily  re 
joined  the  foraging  column,  but  little  better  for  their 
breakfast.  Miles  took  his  regular  rations  more  kindly 
after  that,  but  the  lesson  seemed  to  be  wholly  lost  upon 
Reece. 

An  amusing  incident  occurred  early  in  our  straits 
here,  that  helped  out  one  company's  rations  wonder 
fully.  General  Denver's  division  started  for  Memphis, 
and,  as  usual,  many  were  by  the  roadside  to  see  it 
pass.  Just  as  a  Headquarters  train  was  going  by,  all  at 
once  a  wagon-sheet  slipped  back  off  the  bows,  and  a 
number  of  articles  came  thrashing  to  the  ground.  The 


ILLINOIS  I  \  i-  AN TK  v.  49 

wheel  locker  called  to  the  driver,  who  stopped  the  team, 
left  his  saddle  and  came  back  to  repair  damages.  Of  course 
every  team,  and  all  behind,  was  stopped  by  this  team. 
The  driver  proceeded  puickly  to  put  the  sheet  back  in 

its  place,  and  as  he  did  so,  he  said,   "It  is  them  d d 

peas."  This  directed  a  Lieutenant's  eye  to  a  well  filled 
sack  lying  among  camp  kettles,  chairs,  and  a  Sibley 
tent  in  the  road.  These  were  speedily  re-loaded,  when 
the  driver  vaulted  into  his  saddle,  cracked  his  whip  and 
started,  leaving  the  sack  of  peas  untouched.  The  Lieu 
tenant  comprehended  the  situation  at  a  glance,  sprang 
and  picked  up  the  sack,  with  a  hundred  men  looking  on, 
and  bore  it  to  the  road  side  before  the  team  behind 
could  reach  him,  or  any  one  else  seemed  to  understand 
the  move.  But  just  as  he  said  to  a  man  of  his  company, 
who  chanced  to  be  there,  "Lay  hold,  Charlie,"  a  mur 
mur  of  approbation  broke  from  the  road  line,  and  such 
expressions  as,  ''Well  done,  by  thunder,"  "See  that, 
will  you,"  and  "Bully  for  the  Lieutenant, "  saluted  them 
as  they  moved  off  in  great  glee  for  camp.  The  sack 
contained  about  two  and  a  half  bushels  of  as  fine  stock 
peas  as  the  south  ever  grew,  and  that  company  drew  no 
corn. 


50  HISTORY  OF  THK  124x11 


CHAPTER    V. 


Again  moving. — Carrying  a  dressed  hog  on  horseback. — Lagrangc 
once  more. — On  to  Moscow  in  a  storm. — Collierville,  and  guarding 
railroad. — Six  inches  of  snow,  and  boys  barefooted. --Reach  Memphis 
and  proceed  to  clear  land. — Clothed  up  once  more. — Dissatisfaction 
created  by  northern  copperheads. — A  few  desertions.  — Five  roll 
calls  a  day. — Dainties  from  home  and  the  Sanitary  Commission. — A 
great  deal  of  sickness. — Pay  to  October  31st. — Hopetield  burnt. — On 
the  "Platte  Valley,"  and  down  the  Mississippi. — Lake  Providence. 
Peach  trees  in  bloom,  February  23d. — A  beautiful  camp. 


HUT  OUT  from  all  the  world  as  we  were,  without  a 
mail  from  Dec.  iQth,  and  with  all  kinds  of  rumors, 
first  that  Richmond,  Vicksburg  and  Mobile  had  been 
taken,  and  again  that  we  had  been  defeated  under  Burn- 
side  and  everybody  else,  it  may  well  be  imagined  that 
when  marching  orders  came,  January  4th,  we  were  glad 
to  get  them,  and  on  the  5th  we  struck  our  tents  with  a 
will,  and  started  north.  The  blue-birds  were  singing 
sweetly,  and  the  going  was  fine,  and  we  enjoyed  it.  We 
went  into  camp  at  Holly  Springs  after  dark,  and  rested 
well.  The  place  showed  the  effects  of  its  visitation. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  51 

The  railroad  depot  was  a  sad  sight  to  us,  because  of  the 
remains  of  arms,  ambulances  and  wagons,  but  the  rebels 
doubtless  felt  worse  for  the  spoiled  town. 

On  the  /th  we  reached  Lagrange  again,  and  went  into 
camp  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  our  old  home, 
in  a  cotton  field,  without  wood  or  water,  wonderinir 

o 

why  we  could  not  be  permitted  to  seek  our  old  quarters, 
as  we  expected  to  remain  here  some  time.  «,The  boys 
really  felt  disappointed.  They  were  at  sea.  No  mail, 
no  rations,  no  anything.  As  well  not  be  at  Lagrange, 
with  the  locomotive  whistles  shrieking  in  your  ears. 

During  this  day  Reece  and  Durley  had  a  bit  of  adven 
ture,  which  deserves  to  be  told.  They  had  concluded 
to  do  a  little  foraging  on  their  own  account,  as  the  train 
was  jogging  along  safely,  so  they  rode  some  five  or  six 
miles  from  the  column  before  finding  anything  worthy 
of  their  notice  in  the  "cleaned  out"  country.  At  last 
they  reached  a  house  where  they  found  an  antiquated 
"secessioner, "  who  politely  requested  them  to  leave, 
upon  learning  their  business.  But  the  colored  individual 
was  at  hand,  who  informed  them  that  he  had  just  "done 
cleaned"  some  very  nice  pigs,  a  few  months  old,  and 
led  the  way  to  where  they  were  still  hanging.  Durley 
said  they  must  have  one  of  these  ;  so  down  one  came, 
which  he  rolled  up  carefully  in  his  rubber  blanket,  and 
with  the  assistance  of  the  negro,  placed  on  the  horse  in 
front.  Reece  secured  a  small  bag  of  dried  apples,  and 
they  started,  with  the  long  distance  before  them,  leav 
ing  the  darky  in  high  glee  over  what  he  considered  a 


52  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


good  joke  on  "old  massa. "  But  before  going  far,  as 
Reece  tells  the  story,  Durley  concluded  the  whole  joke 
was  on  him.  The  pig,  being  freshly  dressed,  was  limp 
and  flabby,  and  exceedingly  hard  to  balance  on  a  trot 
ting  horse  in  a  slippery  rubber  blanket ;  seeing  which, 
Reece  would  say,  "Hurry  up,  Durley,  or  we  shall  not 
reach  the  train  before  night."  Durley  begging  him 
not  to  hurry,  Reece  would  start  up,  give  Durley's 
horse  a  dig,  and  away  go  the  pig  to  the  ground. 
After  laughing  it  out,  Reece  would  help  him  to  reload, 
only  to  shortly  repeat  the  same  experiment,  and  again 
shake  his  sides  at  the  lofty  tumbling  of  the  pig  and  Dur 
ley's  ludicrous  discomfiture.  But  the  joke  soon  became 
stale  to  Durley,  and  he  left  the  pig  on  the  ground,  and 
rode  away,  having  carried  it  less  than  a  mile.  They 
soon  made  a  detour,  obtained  some  dinner,  and  then 
started  more  rapidly  for  the  regiment.  Shortly  after 
they  fell  in  with  an  artillery  man  with  two  fresh  hams 
tied  together,  and  hanging  over  his  horse's  neck.  Upon 
being  asked  where  he  obtained  them,  he  replied,  "Som'e 
d — d  fool  tried  to  carry  a  whole  hog,  and  couldn't,  so 
he  left  it  lying  in  the  road.  He  must  have  been  a  new 
recruit,  or  he  would  have  known  better  than  that." 
Reece  and  Durley  both  agreed  with  him,  but  it  was  all 
the  former  could  do  to  keep  from  telling  where  the  fool 
was.  A  warning  look  from  Durley  alone  prevented. 
They  reached  the  camp  after  dark,  and  the  dried  apples 
were  nicely  stowed  away  in  a  wagon.  But  the  next 
morning  they  were  gone,  so  the  "honors  were  easy," 


ILLINOIS  L.\i  ANTKY.  5o 


and  nothing  remained  of  the  day's  foraging  but  the  food 
for  laughter,  and  this  story. 

Upon  reaching  Lagrange  we  found  that  a  large  part 
of  our  stored  baggage  had  been  stolen,  involving  con 
siderable  personal  loss.  Of  course  we  had  no  redress. 
We  only  remained  one  night  in  our  desolate  camp,  and 
left  the  next  day  on  the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  Charles 
ton  Railroad,  for  a  guard.  We  moved  west  from  five 
to  eight  miles,  and  divided  up  at  different  posts.  About 
10  o'clock  we  drew  full  rations  once  more,  and  our 
breakfast  waited  till  then,  for  our  haversacks  were  empty. 
The  next  day  we  sent  out  foraging  parties,  by  direction 
of  some  higher  headquarters,  which  returned  full- 
handed  to  find  us  under  marching  orders  again.  So  our 
beef  and  pork  and  sweet  potatoes,  which  we  expected 
to  enjoy  so  much,  had  to  be  left  for  whoever  might 
come  after  us,  and  we  had  to  push  on  to  Moscow  in  a 
very  heavy  rain.  We  arrived  after  dark  and  took  pos 
session  of  houses  sufficient  to  shelter  us.  Two  compa 
nies  occupied  the  Masonic  Hall,  where  the  regalia  and 
fixtures  were  all  left  at  our  disposal.  It  looked  strange 
to  see  two  rows  of  guns  stacked  through  the  hall,  which 
appeared  as  though  the  Lodge  had  just  left  it.  But 
probably  they  had  not  held  a  meeting  for  months.  We 
had  speaking  and  singing,  as  befitted  the  place,  and  all 
were  in  good  spirits  despite  the  rain  and  mud  of  the 
march. 

January    I  ith,  we   reached    Colliersville,    still    farther 
west  of  the  railroad,  and   from  there  were   distributed, 


HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


some  of  us  back  from  one  to  four  miles  along  the  track. 
On  the  1 2th  still  other  changes  were  made,  and  then  we 
settled  down  for  a  few  days,  which  proved  very  trying, 
with  our  head-quarters  at  Colliersville.  On  the  I3th  we 
received  a  mail,  our  first  since  leaving  "Camp  Turna 
bout,"  twenty-five  days. 

Our  tents  were  only  temporarily  pitched.  \Ye  had 
no  floors  or  bunks,  and  were  poorly  prepared  for  the 
storm  which  now  burst  upon  us.  On  the  I4th  it  rained 
incessantly  and  heavily.  A  deluge  of  water,  almost  at 
the  point  of  freezing.  On  the  I  5th  it  turned  to  snow, 
which  fell  till  it  lay  upon  the  wet  ground  upwards  of  six 
inches  deep.  The  oldest  inhabitant  said  he  had  never 
seen  the  like,  and  that  it  must  be  a  touch  of  "northern 
manners,"  which  we  had  brought  with  us.  It  then 
turned  very  cold,  and  we  suffered  exceedingly.  Ink 
froze  in  our  valises  before  our  rail  fires,  and  the  water 
in  our  canteens  became  solid  in  spite  of  us.  Our  only 
recourse  was  to  keep  the  rails  blazing  night  and  day  in 
front  of  our  tents.  This  lasted  for  three  days,  and  was 
an  experience  never  to  be  forgotten.  We  felt  thankful 
ever  after  that  our  campaigning  was  in  "Dixie,"  despite 
its  summer  heat,  rather  than  in  the  teeth  of  our  north 
ern  winters. 

On  the  i pth,  after  an  all  night's  rain  with  which  our 
cold  snap  terminated,  and  which  had  softened  the  snow 
to  about  four  inches  of  slush,  we  were  relieved,  and 
moved  back  to  Coliiersville,  where  the  regiment  were 
together  once  more.  A  sorrier  plight  we  could  scarcely 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  55 


be  in.  Our  clothing  had  become  very  ragged  and  insuf 
ficient,  and  many  of  the  boys  had  been  barefooted  for 
days ;  scarcely  any  one  had  dry  feet.  Sickness  was 
telling  fearfully  upon  us ;  a  great  many  were  entirely 
helpless  ;  but  no  alternative  presented  ;  we  must  rough 
it  through.  So  our  wet  tents  were  pitched,  and  our 
beds  made  in  the  slush  for  the  night.  Some  were  for 
tunate  enough  to  get  a  few  rails,  or  a  bit  of  board  to 
keep  them  out  of  the  snow  and  water,  which  was 
more  than  ankle  deep.  I  think  I  remember  seeing  a 
Lieutenant  come  into  camp  triumphantly,  with  a  double 
gate  on  his  shoulder,  which  he  had  earned  more  than 
half  a  mile,  and  over  which  one  tent  was  pitched  in 
high  glee.  What  a  bed-chamber  success  to  achieve. 
And  just  before  dark  our  barefooted  and  sick  were 
loaded  on  some  flat  cars  and  started  for  Memphis, 
which  was  another  piece  of  wonderful  good  fortune. 
We  almost  envied  them  as  they  rolled  away,  armed 
with  their  Descriptive  Rolls,  the  soldier's  guaranty  for 
all  he  needs. 

The  next  morning  we  moved  on,  and  reached  Mem 
phis,  in  tolerably  good  order,  the  evening  of  the  21  st. 
We  went  into  camp  in  a  fine  piece  of  timber  near  the 
rest  of  our  brigade,  about  three  miles  from  the  city. 
Here  we  proceeded  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable 
as  we  could,  flooring  our  tents,  and  building  bunks  and 
chimneys,  and  consuming  large  quantities  of  the  valua 
ble  timber  in  which  we  were  encamped.  So  thorough 
were  we  that  it  seemed  more  like  clearing  land  than 


56  IIlSTOKV    01-    THE    124-1-11 

simply  getting  a  little  wood  and  timber,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  almost  incessant  rain  while  lying  there, 
scarcely  a  tree  would  have  remained  standing  in  our 
camp. 

Our  first  business  was  to  get  clothed  up  and  shod, 
and  none  too  soon  was  it  done  for  the  suffering  boys. 
The  Quartermaster's  efforts  were  untiring,  and  for  a  time 
he  was  the  hardest  worked  officer  in  the  regiment.  But 
the  sunny  smile  never  faded  from  his  face,  and  no  one 
was  prouder  of  the  appearance  of  the  "Hundred  and 
two  dozen"  than  he. 

While  lying  here  our  patriotism  passed  through  a  trial 
of  another,  and  an  unexpected,  kind.  We  had  been 
moving  in  force  against  the  foe  for  months,  without  a 
chance  to  strike  a  blow  ;  we  had  suffered  a  great  deal  ; 
the  winter  had  been  severe,  our  rations  had  been  short, 
we  had  received  no  pay,  and  a  great  many  were  sick- 
Now  we  were  within  earshot  of  home  and  its  com 
forts,  the  river  that  flowed  at  our  feet  laved  the  shores 
of  our  own  State,  all  looked  discouraging  in  the  east, 
the  citizens  of  Memphis  were  very  communicative,  and 
prophetic  of  evil  to  us,  and  to  cap  the  climax,  rebels 
from  home,  northern  copperheads,  filled  our  camps  and 
sought  to  discourage  and  reduce  us.  It  was  the  night 
of  the  war.  It  was  even  affirmed  that  members'of  the 
Illinois  legislature  were  on  active  duty  in  the  city,  furn 
ishing  means  and  citizens'  clothes  to  soldiers  to  get  them 
to  desert.  Certain  it  is  that  many  did  desert,  and  all 
the  commands  suffered  more  or  less.  But  perhaps  none 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  57 

less  than  we,  as  only  four  of  our  men  yielded  to  the 
pressure  and  left,  and  three  of  them  were  of  foreign 
nationality. 

To  lessen  opportunities  for  evil  communications,  a 
rigid  pass  system  was  enforced  throughout  the  com 
mand,  and  five  roll  calls  a  day  were  ordered.  Inspec 
tions,  too,  and  drill  and  reviews  sprang  into  existence 
once  more.  The  Sanitary  Commission  came  to  us  with 
appreciated  favors,  the  first  we  had  received,  and  boxes 
of  "goodies"  began  to  pour  in  from  home.  The  spirits 
of  all  began  to  revive.  Our  ranks  were  still  sadly  thin 
ned  by  sickness,  and  many  had  died,  but  the  rest  seemed 
to  rise  from  the  gloom,  and  the  night  was  past. 

On  the  I4th  and  i$th  of  February,  Maj.  T.  J.  Osgood 
visited,  and  paid  us  to  October  3ist,  two  months'  pay, 
the  first  any  officer  had  received.  Though  not  what  we 
had  a  right  to  expect,  it  was  accepted  very  thankfully, 
and  did  much  to  allay  the  discontent  of  the  boys  and 
raise  our  spirts.  It  also  contributed  not  a  little  to  our 
comfort,  and  perhaps  to  our  health,  though  it  is  ques 
tionable  if  soldiers  are  generally  benefited  by  having 
money  to  spend  freely  in  the  interest  of  their  haversacks. 

On  the  iQth  of  February  some  of  our  regiment,  who 
were  on  duty  on  the  Division  Quartermaster's  boat, 
"Catahoula, "  lying  at  the  levee,  saw  a  speck  of  war  be 
yond  anything  previously  witnessed.  The  little  village 
of  Hopefield,  on  the  Arkansas  side  of  the  river,  had 
been  a  favorite  guerrilla  haunt,  and  from  the  shelter  of 
its  houses,  firing  across  into  the  steamers  and  city,  had 


58  HISTORY  OF  THE  12 


been  frequent  and  sometimes  deadly.  At  last  orders 
were  issued  to  destroy  the  place.  The  gunboats  pro 
ceeded  to  shell  the  woods  in  the  rear,  and  under  cover 
of  their  fire,  troops  landed  and  applied  the  torch  to 
every  house.  The  heavy  cannonading  and  the  rising 
flames  gave  war,  to  us,  a  sterner  meaning. 

At  10  o'clock,  on  the  2Oth  of  February,  we  found  our 
selves  on  board  of  the  steamer  "Platte  Valley,"  with  the 
whole  of  Logan's  Division  in  company,  evidently  bound 
down  the  river.  It  was  a  fine  day,  and  t  e  scene  was 
one  of  great  activity.  Having  our  part  done,  and  be 
ing  safely  stowed  away  on  a  fine  boat,  we  were  pre 
pared  to  enjoy  all  we  saw  with  a  keen  relish.  Brig. 
Gen.  John  A.  Haynie  had  relieved  Col.  Marsh  of  the 
command  of  our  brigade,  much  to  our  gratification,  and 
his  headquarters  were  on  the  boat  with  us.  The  day 
wore  away  and  still  the  troops  were  marching  down  the 
levee,  and  embarking  on  steamer  after  steamer,  and 
mules  and  wagons  were  being  loaded,  with  various 
stores  and  supplies,  till  it  seemed  that  nothing  was  to 
be  left  in  Memphis.  The  next  day  it  rained  furiously 
the  long  hours  away,  but  we  were  comfortable,  and 
therefore  willing  to  lie  still  and  wait  the  developments, 
as  the  little  steam  that  all  the  boats  had  up,  slightly 
fizzed,  and  "nothing  more."  We  were  probably  wait 
ing  for  the  22d  of  February,  "for  luck,"  for  before  day 
light  the  next  morning  steam  was  raised,  the  lines  were 
cast  off,  and  the  sun-rising  of  Washington's  birth-day 
found  us  proudly  steaming  down  the  father  of  waters,  sail- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  59 

ing  to  victory.  Yes,  to  victory,  though  many  of  out- 
bravest  were  sailing  to  their  graves.  As  it  was  Sunday, 
Chaplain  Foskett  preached  us  an  excellent  sermon, 
which  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  many. 

A  little  before  10  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  landed 
at  the  village  of  Providence,  in  Louisiana,  where  a  canal 
was  being  cut  through  from  the  river  to  Lake  Provi 
dence,  but  a  short  distance,  in  the  hope  to  do  some 
thing  toward  flanking  Vicksburg,  through  Mason  and 
Tensas  bayous. 

We  found  ourselves  in  the  lovliest  country  we  had  yet 
seen.  In  fact,  it  was  almost  a  paradise.  Though  but 
the  23d  of  February,  peach  trees  were  in  full  bloom, 
roses  and  spireas  were  abundant,  and  the  air  was  soft 
and  balmy  as  our  May.  McArthur's  Division  was 
already  on  the  ground,  and  \ve  were  marched  beyond 
it,  about  five  miles  from  the  river,  to  a  lovely  camp  on 
the  bank  of  the  lake.  We  passed  several  beautiful 
plantations  and  palatial  residences  before  reaching  our 
camp,  only  to  find  ourselves  among  others  finer  and 
more  noble  still,  if  possible.  How  sad  that  the  ruth 
less  hand  of  war  should  be  laid  upon  such  loveliness. 
But  these  planters  had  invoked  our  presence.  They 
had  helped  to  bring  on  the  war,  little  thinking  the  hated 
"Yanks"  would  ever  get  so  far — would  ever  sit  down  in 
front  of  their  mansions,  and  intrude  into  the  presence 
of  their  household  gods.  But  there  we  were,  and  our 
coming  was  a  lesson  of  justice  such  as  God  often  teaches, 
and  we  abode  our  allotted  time  in  their  Eden,  quite 
content. 


60  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 


CHAPTER   VI. 


Resignations  and  promotions. — Routine  life.— Heavy  rains. — The 
steamer  "  Henry  Von  Phul. " — Levee  cut. — Berry's  Landing. — A 
wagon  load  of  fish. — Religious  interest. — Tremendous  storm  in  the 
night. — Company  G's  hog. — Interesting  poetry. — Col.  Sloan  in 
trouble. — Adjt.  Gen.  Thomas  in  camp. — Logan's  speech. — Four 
months'  pay. — Off  for  somewhere.— Milliken's  Bend. — Mortality 
statistics. — Graves  on  the  levee. — Volunteering  to  run  the  block 
ade. — Gov.  Yates. — Demoralizing  drill  and  dress  parade  in  our  shirt 
sleeves. — Views  of  Vicksburg. — Roses  by  the  mile,  and  Pride  of 
China  trees. 


OUR  STAY  at  Memphis  afforded  such  of  our  officers 
as  had  wearied  of  the  service  an  opportunity  to  re 
sign,  of  which  they  gladly  availed  themselves.  Lieut. 
Andrews,  of  Company  H,  resigned  January  28th,  which 
promoted  Lieut.  Potter  to  ist  Lieutenant,  and  Sergt. 
Greenville  A.  Spear  to  2d  Lieutenant.  Capt.  Morgan, 
of  Company  K,  resigned  February  5th,  which  made 
Lieut.  S.  N.  Sanders  Captain,  Lieut.  Willian  having 
previously  died,  and  Sergt.  Hiram  H.  Hall,  of  Company 
E,  ist  Lieutenant.  2d  Lieut.  Rickey,  of  Company 
C,  resigned  the  same  date,  and  Orderly  Lew.  Dorian 
was  promoted  accordingly.  ist  Lieut.  Benedict,  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  61 


Company  G,  left  us  February  i6th,  which  raised  Benton 
Pratt  to  his  vacant  office,  and  made  Orderly  John  W. 
Mosby  2d  Lieutenant. 

Our  life  at  Lake  Providence  was  not  remarkable  for 
anything.  General  Haynie  was  taken  sick  and  left  us, 
which  put  Colonel  Sloan  in  command  of  the  brigade  for 
three  weeks,  when  Colonel  Marsh  returned  again.  We 
did  some  drilling,  and  practiced  target  firing  when  we 
discharged  our  picket  guns.  We  also  foraged  a  little. 
One  trip,  on  the  3d  of  March,  under  command  of  Col. 
Stevenson,  of  Missouri,  was  particularly  enjoyable.  It 
was  through  a  very  lovely  and  rich  country,  on  a  fine 
day,  and  was  perfectly  successful.  Our  object  was 
sweet  potatoes  and  corn,  and  the  wagons,  two  from  each 
regiment  in  the  division,  were  filled  from  one  plantation, 
without  seeming  to  diminish  the  supply.  We  also  got 
a  few  Irish  potatoes,  though  not  enough  to  go  round. 

We  had  some  very  heavy  rains  while  here,  and  at  one 
time  it  seemed  as  though  the  whole  country  must  be  in 
undated,  such  sheets  of  water  fell.  But  the  dry  land 
prevailed  at  last.  The  steaming  heat  told  sadly  upon 
some  of  our  men,  and  our  Surgeons  had  their  hands 
full.  Many,  too,  left  for  the  general  hospitals,  but 
others  who  had  been  lef:  sick  at  Memphis  began  to  come 
in,  and  our  ranks  were  kept  tolerably  full. 

On  Sunday,  the  15th  of  March,  in  a  heavy  rain,  we 
broke  camp,  and  floundered  through  the  mud  to  the 
river,  to  embark  on  the  steamer  "Henry  Von  Phul, "  with 
the  2Oth  Illinois.  We  lay  on  board  her  the  rest  of  that 


62  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2j.ru 

day,  and  all  the  next.  Toward  evening  of  the  i6th,  the 
levee  was  cut  through,  and  the  waters  of  the  river  turned 
into  Lake  Providence.  The  troops  yelled  with  delight 
as  the  torrent  tore  through,  for  it  seemed  to  promise  us 
some  advantage.  But  no  good  ever  came  of  it,  except 
that  of  damage  to  the  enemy. 

The  forenoon  of  the  i/th  we  moved  up  the  river  about 
five  miles,  and  debarked  at  our  next  soldiers'  home, 
called  Berry's  Landing,  or  Vista  Plantation.  We  were 
this  time  near  the  levee,  and  could  see  all  the  steamers 
from  our  camp  as  they  passed  to  and  fro,  loaded  with 
troops.  We  were  soon  very  nicely  fixed  up,  bunks 
were  made,  and  Recce's  sleek  mules  robbed  of  corn- 
fodder  for  our  beds.  The  water  was  poor.  It  was  pro 
cured  by  sinking  barrels  anywhere  we  chose.  They 
would  speedily  fill,  the  water  looked  pure,  and  was  pal 
atable,  but  it  was  doubtless  unhealthy,  and  the  Surgeons 
forbade  our  using  it,  ordering  us  to  get  water  from  the 
river  ;  an  order  which  very  few  obeyed.  The  standing 
water  in  the  rear  of  our  camp  came  up  to  within  a  few 
rods  of  us,  and  was  visibly  affected  by  the  canal  below. 
At  one  time  we  really  thought  it  would  drown  us  out, 
as  it  rose  at  the  rate  of  about  an  inch  an  hour.  But  the 
tide  and  our  fears  subsided  together,  and  we  were  the 
gainers  by  a  wagon  load  of  buffalo  fish,  which  were 
gathered  from  among  the  cotton  rows,  where  the  reced 
ing  waters  had  left  them. 

While  here  we  had  considerable  religious  interest  in 
our  regiment.  Chaplain  Button,  of  the  2Oth  Illinois, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


preached  for  us  two  sermons  of  great  power,  and  our 
Chaplain  and  ministers  inaugurated  extra  services,  which 
were  largely  attended.  Prayer  meetings  of  absorbing 
interest  were  held  in  some  of  the  tents  nearly  every 
night,  and  not  a  few  were  reclaimed  and  quickened, 
while  some  started  to  live  a  Christian  life. 

One  of  the  most  furious  storms  occurred  here  which 
we  ever  experienced.  It  was  about  midnight,  and  came 
upon  us  without  warning.  The  water  fell  in  torrents, 
while  the  wind  was  almost  a  tornado.  Many  a  tent 
yielded  to  its  fury,  while  all  through  the  camp  were 
half-naked  men.  tugging  at  tent  corners,  driving  stakes 
and  trying  to  save  the  wrecks.  Fortunately  the  fury  of 
the  storm  was  of  short  duration,  and  soon  all  was  com 
parative  quiet  again. 

A  ridiculous  affair  transpired  at  this  time,  the  particu 
lars  of  which  are  involved  in  something  of  a  mystery. 
It  seems,  however,  that  Colonel  Sloan,  who  was  in  com 
mand  of  the  regiment  again,  had  become  involved  in  a 
difficulty  with  some  of  Company  G  about  a  hog, 
which  he  had  probably  sought  to  rescue  from  them  in 
the  interest  of  the  "secesh"  owner,  and  had  put  the 
boys  under  arrest.  The  result  was  a  neatly  formed  grave 
on  the  levee,  in  a  conspicuous  place,  with  head  and  foot 
boards  complete.  On  the  former,  written  in  a  bold 
hand,  was  this  poetic  effusion  : 

"  This  sow  has  died  without  a  moan. 
Beneath  the  nose  of  Colonel  Sloan, 
Charged  by  men  on  murder  bent, 


f>4  HISTORY  OK  THE  12 


She  breathed  her  last  close  by  his  tent. 
1  n  digging  her  grave,  we've  done  our  best. 

While  we,  the  murderers,  were  under  arrest. 
Now  Surgeon,  let  this  poor  corpse  be. 

So  neatly  buried  by  Company  Gr. 
For  in  this  world  her  troubles  are  o'er. 

She  was  a  sow,  but  Sloan's  a  bore. 
Reader,  tread  lightly  on  her  head. 

For  if  she  gasps,  by  thunder,  you're  dead.  " 

The  feeling  indicated  by  this  poetry  was  pretty  largely 
shared  by  the  whole  regiment.  Col  Sloan  had  most 
signally  failed  to  commend  himself  to  the  confidence  of 
officers  or  men,  and  any  litttle  thing  would  weigh  heav 
ily  against  him.  At  a  regimental  inspection  of  arms 
which  he  had  just  conducted,  he  had  thrown  pieces  back- 
so  violently  as  to  bruise  and  lacerate  several  hands  and 
fingers,  and  then  insisted  he  was  right.  This,  trivial  as 
it  was,  seemed  to  precipitate  action,  and  all  of  the  line 
officers  of  the  regiment,  save  Capt.  Mann,  of  com 
pany  B,  signed  a  petition  to  Col.  Marsh,  to  have  him 
summoned  before  an  Examining  Board,  to  inquire  into 
his  competency.  If  he  blundered  so  in  camp.  what. 
we  asked,  would  he  do  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  ?  Our 
petition  was  favorably  entertained,  a  day  set,  and  he  was 
summoned  to  appear.  He  immediately  sent  for  the 
officers,  and  marched  them  down  by  the  river,  in  a  re 
tired  place,  when  he  took  the  centre  of  a  circle  and 
made  us  a  speech.  The  substance  of  it  was  a  desire  to 
have  us  withdraw  our  petition,  and  give  him  our  confi 
dence  again  upon  his  avowal  of  good  intentions,  or,  at 
least,  to  give  him  a  further  trial.  This  the  officers  unan- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


imously  declined  to  do,  affirming  that  the  office  and 
the  occasion  demanded  the  requisite  knowledge  and 
ability.  We  were  too  near  the  enemy  to  educate  a 
commander,  and  he  must  stand  upon  his  merits.  Then, 
as  we  soon  learned,  commenced  a  course  of  study  in 
the  Colonel's  tent,  which  was  protracted  and  exhaustive, 
and  that  was  all  that  came  of  our  petition,  for  we  moved 
too  soon  for  him  to  appear  before  the  Board,  and  there 
the  matter  dropped. 

On  the  8th  of  April  our  division  was  massed  to  hear 
Adjutant  General  Lorenzo  Thomas,  on  the  government 
policy  of  arming  the  negroes.  His  remarks  were  dry 
and  formal,  and  while  many  approved  some  hissed  at 
the  mention  of  negro  soldiers.  After  him  General 
McPherson  spoke  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  introduced 
General  Logan,  our  own  division  commander,  who  gave 
us  a  thrilling  speech  in  favor  of  the  new  policy,  which 
overbore  all  opposition,  and  elicited  rousing  cheers  of 
approval.  In  his  speech,  which  I  imperfectly  outline 
from  memory,  he  made  a  personal  confession. 

He  said  he  had  been  educated  to  love  slavery  and  all 
who  supported  it,  and  to  believe  that  whatever  opposed 
it  was  wrong.  But  this  war  had  opened  his  eyes. 
Slavery  had  struck  at  the  life  of  the  Republic,  and  there 
remained  no  alternative  but  to  strike  slavery.  He  had 
entered  the  service  to  help  put  down  the  rebellion,  and 
had  been  proscribed  and  abused  for  doing  it.  He  and 
his  wife  could  a  "tale  unfold"  of  copperhead  malignity 
that  would  astonish  us.  But  by  the  help  of  God  he 


HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


would  never  sheathe  his  sword  till  the  rebellion  was 
crushed  out.  And  in  order  to  do  that,  we  must  hurt 
the  rebels  in  every  way  possible.  Shoot  them  with 
shot  and  shell  and  minnie  balls  and  cold  steel,  and, 

d n  them,  shoot  them  with    "niggers."     They  are 

vulnerable  in  that  quarter.  Take  their  corn-raisers  and 
women-protectors  and  fort-builders  from  them,  and  set 
them  to  stopping  bullets  for  us,  and  the  thing  is  done. 
And  you,  my  old  "Dirty-first," — addressing  himself  to 
his  own  old  regiment,  the  3ist  Illinois,  which  stood 
right  before  him — you  are  willing  even  a  colored  man 
should  shield  you  frcyn  rebel  bullets.  I  know  you  are. 
So  we'll  unite  on  this  policy,  putting  the  one  who  is  the 
innocent  cause  of  this  war,  who  has  everything  to  gain 
or  lose  in  this  war,  in  the  front  rank,  and  pressing  on  to 
victory.  And  when  we  have  gained  it,  we'll  all  hear 
the  plaudit,  ' '  well  done,  good  and  faithful  servants, 
come  to  father  Abraham's  bosom." 

The  3 1st  was  won.  From  that  day  we  heard  but  lit 
tle  against  negro  troops.  Step  by  step  the  army  and 
the  land  rose  to  the  demands  of  the  hour,  to  the  indica 
tions  of  the  will  of  God. 

Receiving  four  months'  pay  was  the  next  event  of 
importance,  for  which  we  were  particularly  thankful. 
Our  communications  with  home  were  perfect,  and  what 
ever  the  future  should  do  for  us,  our  families  and  friends 
were  sure  of  so  much.  The  companies  sent  home  from 
$2,000  to  $3,500  each.  , 


ILLINOIS  INFANTKY.  67 

On  the  1 8th  of  April  we  embarked  on  the  '  'Sioux  City" 
for  somewhere,  most  of  our  division  having  previously 
gone.  We  started  about  half-past  six  at  night,  and  ran 
down  by  poor  Providence,  with  the  waters  surging 
through  and  over  her.  In  the  night  a  heavy  storm 
came  on,  and  the  whole  fleet  tied  up  till  daylight. 

Sunday,  the  iQth,  we  reached  Milliken's  Bend  before 
breakfast,  and  tied  up  in  company  with  fully  fifty  steam 
boats,  stretching  along  the  levee  for  more  than  a  mile, 
all  in  the  interest  of  this  dreadful  war.  After  staying  a 
couple  of  hours  we  ran  back  up  the  river  about  two 
miles  and  landed,  going  into  a  pretty  camp,  high  and 
dry,  half  a  mile  from  the  levee,  where  we  were  soon  at 
home  again. 

Here  I  took  the  pains  to  get  the  mortality  statistics  of 
the  regiment,  as  far  as  known,  and  found  we  had  lost  51 
men,  distributed  as  follows  :  A,  2  ;  B  and  C,  each  3  ; 
D,  7  ;  E,  5  ;  F  and  G,  each  7;  H,  I  ;  I,  4 ;  and  K,  12. 
About  as  many  more  had  been  discharged  for  disability, 
so  that  we  were  not  so  strong  by  over  a  hundred  men  as 
we  were  seven  months  before,  and  yet  had  not  even 
been  in  a  skirmish.  At  that  rate  it  would  cost  us  nearly 
500  men  to  get  through  our  three  years'  service,  without 
a  battle.  So  do  the  hardships  of  early  campaigning 
tell. 

This  view  of  the  service  was  strikingly  corroborated 
by  the  levee  both  above  and  below  the  Bend,  for  miles. 
In  less  than  a  two  mile  walk,  200  graves  were  counted, 
and  all  from  sickness.  They  were  stuck  in  everywhere, 


68  HISTORY  OF  TIIK  1 24-1-11 

by  twos  and  threes  and  singly.  And  the  great  army 
wagons  had  gone  lurching  over  some  of  them,  as  the 
lev'ee  was  our  military  road,  and  they  could  not  be 
avoided.  Neat  boards  were  at  all  these  graves,  telling 
name  and  regiment,  and  every  northwestern  state  had 
its  share,  with  some  from  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Ten 
nessee.  All  this  had  been  done  in  a  few  weeks'  time. 

On  the  2  ist  volunteers  were  called  for  to  run  the 
blockade  on  transports,  and  so  many  offered  to  go,  even 
whole  companies,  that  selections  were  impossible,  and 
none  of  our  boys  went.  We  heard  the  firing  distinctly, 
and  saw  the  flashes  of  the  guns  the  evening  of  the  22d, 
when  the  batteries  were  passed. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  22d  we  had  a  <7rand  review  to 

o 

receive  Governor  Yates,  who  made  us  a  very  effective 
speech,  which  drew  tears  from  many  eyes.  What  a 
noble,  patriotic  heart  was  his.  Representative  E.  B. 
Washburne,  of  Galena,  was  with  him.  and  also  addressed 
us.  His  esteemed  regiment,  the  45th  Illinois,  was  in  our 
brigade. 

That  afternopn  we  had  a  very  trying  battalion  drill  in 
the  broiling  sun,  which  did  not  add  to  the  affection  ex 
isting  for  our  Colonel.  At  its  close  we  were  ordered  on 
dress  parade,  and  its  formalities  gone  through  with  in 
our  shirt  sleeves,  to  which  we  had  been  reduced  by  the 
heat  of  the  drill.  It  seemed  an  uncalled  for  and  slov 
enly  exhibit,  and  certainly  was  demoralizing. 

Several  of  our  officers  went  down  to  Young's  Point, 
and  beyond  the  canal,  on  the  picket  boat,  Diligent,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


had  very  fair  views  of  Vicksburg  and  its  defences.  We 
could  see  the  muzzles  of  the  guns,  and  the  flashing  of 
the  sunlight  on  the  bayonets  of  the  sentries.  Little  we 
thought  so  many  weary  miles,  and  graves  as  yet  undug, 
lay  between  us  and  the  prize  our  glasses  brought  so 
near. 

At  Milliken's  Bend  we  were  embowered  in  roses. 
Rose  hedges  stretched  out  in  many  directions,  and  were 
in  full  bloom.  Rose  leaves  covered  the  ground  under 
them,  and  the  air  was  heavy  with  their  odor.  The 
Pride  of  China  tree  wras  first  met  with  in  flower  here,  a 
sort  of  straggling,  lilac  bloom,  pretty  on  the  trees,  but 
not  choice  for'  cutting  or  fragrance.  How  we  wished 
the  tree  could.be  devoted  to  its  legitimate  use,  accord 
ing  to  the  chorus — 

"  We'll  hang  Jeff.  Davis  on  a  Pride  of  China  tree, 
As  we  go  marching  on. " 


70  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


CHAPTER    Vll. 


The  Vicksburg  campaign  begun. — On  to  Richmond. — Col.  Howe's 
horse. — The  Quartermaster's  experience. — Still  on, — Ash  wood  Land 
ing. — Lake  St.  Joseph  and  Dr.  Bowie's  mansion. — Camp  in  3,000 
acres  of  corn. — Grand  Gulf. — Running  the  batteries. — The  "Tuscum- 
bia  " — Crossing  the  Mississippi  on  the  "Mound  City." — Bruinsburg 
— The  Quartermaster  again. — "Just  before  the  battle." — To  the 
front. — Signs  of  a  fray. — Support  the  31st. — Capt.  Potter  wounded. 
— Up  and  at  them. — Thompson's  Hill. — Chase  them  till  dark. — 
Sleep  on  our  arms. — Port  Gibson. — "Down  with  the  traitors,  and 
up  with  the  stars." — Wading  the  stream. — Such  a  country. — Big 
Bayou  Pers. — Halted  by  a  still  or  two.— Line  of  battle. — A  long, 
weary  march  to  the  Big  Black. — Grand  Gulf  evacuated. — Resting.— 
Sitting  up  to  sleep. — Transportation  up. — Rocky  Springs.  — Utica. — 
Special  orders. 

ON  THE  25th  of  April,  the  long  expected  move 
ment  on  Vicksburg  began  in  earnest.  Other  troops 
had  occupied  positions  opposite  Warrenton  and  below 
before,  but  not  so  as  to  give  the  enemy  a  clear  idea  of 
our  intentions,  who  still,  doubtless,  thought  we  were 
expecting  to  move  in  force,  by  the  way  of  Steele's 
Bayou,  the  Sunflower,  Yazoo  Pass,  or  some  other  open 
ing  above.  Now  the  i/th  Army  Corps,  under  McPher- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  71 

son,  broke  camp  to  move  to  the  right  of  McClernand, 
and  to  be  in  turn  rapidly  followed  by  Sherman. 

We  left  much  of  our  baggage  and  all  of  our  sick, 
Capt.  Roach,  of  company  I,  being  in  command  of  our 
invalid  camp  ;  Col.  Sloan,  too,  on  account  of  sickness, 
remained  behind,  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  being  in  command. 
In  the  best  of  spirits,  and  with  our  bands  all  playing, 
we  struck  away  from  the  river  into  the  interior  of  Lou 
isiana,  in  gallant  style,  Quinby's  division  in  the  advance. 
The  day  was  warm,  but  the  scenery  was  lovely,  which 
made  our  marching  easy.  We  soon  struck  Willow 
Bayou,  below  Walnut,  and  passing  down  it  by  Tellula, 
a  station  on  the  demolished  Vicksburg  and  Texas  Rail 
road,  crossed  Rroundaway  Bayou,  and  went  into  camp 
near  Richmond,  having  made  a  twelve  mile  march  with 
comparative  ease  for  the  men,  but  not  for  the  teams,  as 
the  road  cut  up  very  badly. 

While  we  were  much  enjoying  our  camp,  just  at  sun 
down,  an  unfortunate  incident  occurred.  Col.  Howe 
turned  out  his  valuable  horse,  Rodney,  which  he  had 
recently  received  from  home,  to  play  and  graze.  In 
some  way  he  stumbled  upon  the  rough  ground,  badly 
breaking  his  left  fore  shoulder,  and  had  to  be  shot.  It 
seemed  such  a  pity  to  shoot  the  beautiful,  noble  fellow, 
and  the  Colonel  and  horse  had  the  sympathy  of  the 
whole  regiment. 

Our  Quartermaster  had  a  little  personal  experience, 
which  deserves  to  be  told.  He  had  received  orders 
from  brigade  headquarters  to  remain  with  the  surplus 


72  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 


equipage,  but  being  desirous  to  go  with  the  regiment, 
and  having  a  quantity  of  flour  which  the  teams  allowed 
could  not  cairy — we  had  just  drawn  flour,  after  eating 
hard  bread  for  a  long  time  in  camp — he  loaded  up  an 
extra  in  the  afternoon  with  flour  and  grain,  disobeyed 
orders,  and  leaving  Durley  in  charge  of  the  stores,  took 
"Charlie"  Miles  for  body-guard,  and  with  his  teamsters 
slipped  out.  He  expected  to  reach  the  regiment  by 
night  easily,  having  the  whole  road  to  himself.  But  he 
did  not  know  what  a  whole  army  could  do  to  Louisiana 
roads.  Frequently  they  had  to  unload  and  roll  the  flour 
and  carry  the  grain  sacks  past  the  bad  places,  in  mud 
up  to  their  knees.  Night  came  on  and  no  camp  was 
reached,  or  likely  to  be.  At  last  he  left  his  team  and 
pushed  on  with  Miles.  But  it  was  no  use  ;  it  was  too 
dark  and  muddy  to  go  through,  so  they  camped  in  a 
blacksmith  shop  by  the  roadside,  in  which  Reece  fell 
over  the  anvil.  That,  in  turn,  fell  upon  his  foot,  and 
from  its  effects  he  has  not  recovered  to  this  day.  The 
next  morning  they  rode  through  among  the  wagons, 
caissons  and  cannon  that  had  been  stuck  the  day  before, 
and  joined  the  regiment  just  as  it  was  moving  out  again, 
and  reported  to  Col.  Howe,  who  kindly  promised  to 
intercede  at  brigade  headquarters.  Says  Reece,  "All 
the  transportation  of  the  I24th  was  in  its  place  that 
morning,  which  could  not  be  said  of  any  other  regiment 
in  our  brigade." 

The  26th  we  moved  out  again  at  seven  o'clock,  through 
a  lovely  country.      Stopped  to  rest  awhile  at  a  fine  plant- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  73 

ation  belonging  to  a  Capt.  Holmes,  and  went  into  camp 
early,  just  after  a  very  heavy  shower,  having  made  about 
the  same  distance  as  yesterday.  Firing  towards  the 
river  was  heavy  a  part  of  the  day,  and  all  night  The 
next  day  we  pushed  on  by  New  Carthage  in  heavy  rain 
and  through  horrid  mud.  Such  a  plastering,  and  so 
many  stuck  teams,  we  had  never  known  before.  How 
they  ever  all  got  through  is  a  mystery  still.  We  camped 
at  Dunbar's  plantation,  on  Roundaway  bayou.  Our 
teams  all  came  up,  but  too  late,  having  been  hindered 
by  others  on  their  way.  We  marched  only  about  eight 
miles. 

The  28th  we  got  off  about  ten  o'clock,  and  after  cross 
ing  the  bayon  had  a  fine  levee  road  for  a  few  miles. 
Passed  by  a  Judge  Perkins'  plantation  and  reached  the 
river  at  a  place  called  Ashwood  Landing.  Here  we 
found  the  "Cheeseman,"  "Forest  Queen"  and  "Hori 
zon,"  that  had  run  the  blockade  at  Vicksburg,  and 
Hovey's  division,  of  McClernand's  corps,  embarking-  on 
them. 

We  expected  to  follow  them,  but  instead  were  pulled 
out  about  midnight  to  march  farther  down.  Our  road 
was  good,  the  night  fine,  and  we  rather  enjoyed  it. 
About  daylight  we  had  a  halt  and  a  cup  of  coffee,  and 
then  began  to  wind  around  Lake  St.  Joseph,  through 
the  richest  and  most  delightful  country  we  had  yet  seen. 
The  residences  of  the  planters  were  splendid  ;  among 
them  that  of  a  Dr.  Bowie,  was  conspicuous  for  its  ele 
gance  and  surroundings,  and  none  the  less  so  for  its 


74  HISTORY  OK  THE  1 24/1*11 


furniture.  But  it  fell  a  prey  to  the  flames  before  the 
army  passed,  though  not  by  the  hands  of  any  of  Logan's 
division.  We  had  all  passed  ere  it  was  burnt,  and 
learned  of  it  with  unfeigned  regret ;  not  that  we  cared 
for  its  owner,  but  it  was  a  "thing  of  beauty"  and 
deserved  a  better  fate.  The  boys  this  day  obtained 
quantities  of  cabbage,  beets,  onions,  green  peas,  string 
beans  and  blackberries,  but  our  march  of  twenty  miles 
and  upwards,  in  the  heat,  was  very  exhausting. 

We  went  into  camp  at  last  near  the  east  end  of  the 
horse-shoe  lake,  in  a  corn-field,  said  to  contain  3,000 
acres.  It  looked  very  large,  even  to  an  Illinoisan.  The 
corn  was  upwards  of  knee  high,  and  even  as  though  it 
had  grown  by  rule.  It  was  a  pity  to  see  it  punished  as 
the  camping  ground  of  an  army. 

We  were  only  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  landing 
above  Grand  Gulf,  which  many  of  us  visited,  weary  as 
we  were,  before  we  slept.  There  had  been  a  gunboat 
attack  on  the  formidable  rebel  batteries  there  that  day, 
and  the  shots  were  still  occasional  from  our  side,  though 
eliciting  no  reply.  While  we  were  at  the  landing,  our 
gunboats  and  transports  suddenly  wheeled  into  line  and 
started  down  the  river,  past  the  batteries.  We  started 
for  camp,  but  had  not  gone  far  before  we  heard  from 
the  rebels,  and  merry  music  they  made  of  it,  till  our 
fleet  had  all  passed,  which  was  done  in  safety. 

The  next  morning,  April  3Oth,  we  marched  about 
five  miles  to  a  landing  below,  where  we  saw  our  whole 
fleet,  transports  and  gunboats,  loaded  with  troops,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  75 

steaming  away  down  the  river  at  our  approach  ;  or  all 
except  the  "Tuscumbia, "  which  lay  at  the  shore  with 
no  steam  up.  Having  leisure,  some  of  us  went  on 
board  of  her,  and  found  her  sadly  disabled  in  the  fight 
of  the  day  before.  She  was  in  fact  ruined,  helpless  ; 
three  out  of  four  of  her  hog-chains  had  been  let  down 
by  shooting  off  the  stanchions,  so  that  she  was  ' '  hog 
ged,"  as  sailors  term  it.  Her  smoke-stacks  had  been 
riddled,  her  exposed  wood  work  was  in  splinters,  she 
having  been  struck  eighty-two  times,  and  her  casing  had 
been  pierced  in  several  places.  Five  men  on  board  had 
been  killed,  and  a  much  greater  number  wounded.  The 
killed  were  lying  in  as  many  coffins,  side  by  side,  before 
us,  with  the  flag  for  which  they  had  died  spread  over 
them. 

About  three  p.  M.  our  turn  came,  and  we  went  on 
board  the  gunboat  "  Mound  City,"  fairly  covering  her 
up.  We  ran  down  the  river  about  eight  miles,  and 
landed  at  Bruinsburg.  on  the  Mississippi  shore.  Here 
we  found  the  whole  of  McClernand's  corps,  some  of 
whom  were  falling  in  for  a  start  as  we  landed.  Our 
regiment  and  the  23d  Indiana  were  in  the  advance  of 
our  division. 

Bruinsburg  was  a  delightful  landing,  innocent  of  any 
houses  that  we  saw,  but  covered  with  a  rich  carpet  of 
hitherto  untrodden  grass,  that  furnished  a  charming 
camping  ground,  with  the  river  and  its  puffing  steamers 
on  one  side,  and  the  heavily  wooded  Mississippi  hills  on 
the  other.  No  rebel  had  disputed  our  approach,  and 


76  HISTORY  OF  THE  1 24-1-11 

save  for  the  ugly  scars  on  the  "  Tuscumbia, "  we  could 
hardly  bring  ourselves  to  believe  there  was  any  foe  in 
tending  to  oppose  us. 

In  the  haste  to  cross  the  troops,  the  horses  of  the  field 
officers  had  been  ordered  left  behind.  This  was  very 
rough  on  many  officers  that  night  and  the  next  day  or 
two,  but  Reece  was  on  hand  as  usual,  and  smuggled 
over  the  horses  of  our  officers,  with  those  of  a  battery. 
He  tried  it  the  second  time  before  succeeding.  The 
first  time  he  was  detected  and  ordered  off  the  barge,  for 
which  he  was  very  thankful,  as  that  barge  sunk  and 
many  animals  were  lost.  But  he  came  out  ahead  the 
second  time,  and  our  officers  were  mounted  for  the 
march  next  day,  which  they  all  voted  was  better  than 
leaving  Reece  at  Milliken's  Bend. 

Gov.  Yates  and  E.  B.  Washburne  addressed  us  again 
that  evening.  The  Governor  told  of  opening  the  Missis 
sippi  river  the  next  day,  of  putting  an  end  to  the  rebellion 
by  breaking  its  back,  and  of  our  boys  covering  them 
selves  all  over  with  glory.  Of  course  it  quickened  the 
pulse  of  our  patriotism  somewhat,  and  under  orders  to 
march  at  four  the  next  morning,  we  lay  down  under 
the  peaceful  heavens  to  rest,  expecting  ere  another 
nightfall  to  meet  the  enemy. 

Our  sleep  was  troubled,  as  troops  were  moving  out 
all  night,  and  long  ere  the  morning  the  sound  of  distant 
firing  could  be  distinctly  heard.  We  were  moving  early, 
and  started  about  half-past  six.  having  been  detained 
some  time  for  artillery  to  pass.  We  pushed  up  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  77 

river  about  two  miles,  and  then  wound  into  the  hills, 
rather  slowly  at  first,  and  then  more  rapidly,  all  the  time 
listening  to  the  firing.  The  day  was  hot,  and  as  we 
moved  faster  we  suffered  greatly.  The  Mississippi  sun 
almost  roasted  us.  Blankets  and  overcoats  were  abund 
ant  by  the  roadside. 

Soon  we  began  to  see  signs  of  the  fray.  About  eight 
miles  out  we  met  a  large  squad  of  rebel  prisoners  under 
guard,  going  to  the  river.  Just  after,  we  saw  their 
wagons,  left  in  their  retreat,  and  knew  that  we  had  been 
driving  them.  A  little  farther  on  and  the  wounded  of 
both  sides  began  to  appear,  with  occasionally  a  dead 
man.  Then  we  reached  a  hospital  by  the  roadside,  to 
which  they  were  bringing  the  wounded  on  stretchers. 
The  next  thing  we  were  met  by  an  Aid,  and  ordered  to 
"  unsling  knapsacks,"  which  we  did  with  three  cheers 
for  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  moved  rapidly  to  the 
front.  It  was  then  about  one  o'clock. 

We  soon  came  to  a  section  of  a  battery,  playing  rap- 
ily  upon  some  frame  houses  in  the  distance,  about  which 
we  could  see  the  shells  burst,  but  saw  no  enemy.  We 
were  filed  to  the  left  from  the  road  and  halted  ;  but  be 
fore  we  did  so  a  few  minnie  balls  "zipped"  over  our 
heads,  though  from  where  we  could  not  tell,  .and  while 
resting  an  answering  shell  or  two  came  back  from  the 
Johnnies,  striking  near  our  guns.  We  saw  the  23d 
Indiana  move  down  toward  a  skirt  of  timber  on  our 
right  front,  and  were  told  we  were  to  support  them. 
But  soon  it  was  whispered  that  Col.  Sanderson,  their 


HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


commander,  had  said  he  did  not  want  us  to  support 
him,  as  we  were  an  untried  regiment,  but  that  Col. 
McCook,  of  the  3ist  Illinois,  had  said,  <%Let  them  sup 
port  me."  Certain  it  is  that  the  3ist  were  deployed  as 
skirmishers,  and  we  went  to  their  support,  though  prob 
ably  Col.  Sanderson  said  no  such  thing,  as  he  stoutly 
denied  it.  We  found  ourselves  in  an  old  plowed  field, 
in  front  of  our  artillery,  and  were  ordered  to  lie  down  ; 
an  order  which  we  very  promptly  obeyed.  Our  ground 
was  slightly  descending  toward  the  direction  of  the 
enemy.  From  some  woods  in  front  of  our  right  the 
balls  began  to  whiz  quite  unpleasantly,  but  no  enemy 
appeared.  We  were  confident  the  45th  were  in  the  woods, 
for  we  had  seen  them  enter,  therefore  our  friends  must 
be  between  us  and  the  rebels.  Still  the  balls  struck 
uncomfortably  close,  and  often  made  us  cringe,  as  the 
little  puffs  of  dust  would  rise  from  the  ground  where  the 
bullets  entered.  Another  minute  and  Capt.  Potter,  of 
company  F,  was  wounded  in  the  heel,  the  first  man  hit 
in  the  "  Hundred  and  two  dozen."  Capt.  Bedford,  on 
the  brigade  staff,  ordered  the  Chaplain  and  musicians  to 
accompany  Capt.  Potter  to  the  rear,  and  we  wondered 
who,  and  what  next.  In  a  few  minutes  a  real  artillery 
duel  began,  and  the  rebels  answered  back  in  earnest, 
just  clearing  our  right.  We  moved  forward  and  halted 
again,  while  the  firing  of  the  45th  in  the  timber  rattled 
merrily.  Shortly  a  shout  was  heard,  the  3ist  were  all 
on  their  feet  and  closing  up  in  front  of  our  left,  and  we 
were  ordered  fonvrird  in  time  to  fire  two  volleys  at  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTHY.  79 

retreating  greybacks.  Col.  McCook  shouted,  "Give  it 
to  them,"  and  forward  we  went  with  a  will,  but  they 
were  fleeter  than  we.  So  much  for  Thompson's  Hill, 
where  we  first  smelt  powder  in  the  presence  of  the  foe. 
Our  only  loss  was  Capt.  Potter,  who  never  fully  recov 
ered  from  the  effects  of  his  wound,  and  resigned  the 
/th  of  August,  following.  Our  forces  lost  but  few  com 
pared  with  the  enemy,  whose  loss  in  prisoners  was 
nearly  a  thousand,  with  Gen.  Tracy  killed. 

We  soon  came  to  a  halt,  with  the  ground  quite  plen 
tifully  strewn  with  the  knapsacks  and  blankets  of  the 
retreating  foe.  We  noticed,  with  interest,  that  the 
former  were  marked  "Alabama,"  "Mississippi,"  "Lou 
isiana,"  etc.  Some  of  our  boys  replaced  the  blankets 
thrown  away  on  the  march  in  the  forenoon,  but  these 
were  usually  very  poor  compared  with  ours.  Trinkets, 
letters  and  keepsakes  from  the  emptied  knapsacks  passed 
rapidly  from  hand  to  hand.  It  was  all  very  strange  to 
us.  While  at  a  halt,  Gen.  Grant  came  riding  by  alone, 
and  said,  so  quietly  and  naturally,  "I  never  want  sol 
diers  to  do  better,"  and,  "You  have  behaved  yourselves 
well,"  that  it  did  us  good,  though  we  knew  we  had  done 
very  little. 

We  followed  the  rebels  until  dark,  having  a  slight 
brush  with  them  as  a  parting  salute,  in  which  we  mor 
tally  wounded  the  Adjutant  of  the  3  1st  Alabama,  who 
was  left  to  die  in  our  hands.  His  name  was  McAfee, 
and  was  shot  through  the  bowels.  Poor  fellow,  his 
groans  were  distressing,  but  the  next  morning  put  an 


80  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

end  to  to  his  sufferings.  We  lay  on  our  arms  all  night 
without  any  fire,  and  as  the  night  was  cool  and  our 
blankets  few,  our  condition,  following  the  heat  and 
relaxation  of  the  day,  may  well  be  imagined.  We  were 
not  loth  to  leave  our  pillows  at  the  earliest  instant. 

Off  at  six  and  passing  several  dead  rebels,  we  pushed 
on  rapidly  to  the  pretty  village  of  Port  Gibson,  which 
we  reached  to  find  the  enemy  had  left  in  hot  haste, 
burning  the  bridge  over  the  Little  Bayou  Pere  behind 
them.  We  entered  the  place  in  fine  style,  and  stacked 
arms  in  one  of  the  principal  streets.  Having  a  little 
conversation  with  some  of  the  surprised  citizens,  we 
found  there  were  those  among  them  who  had  really 
thought  that  Yankees  had  horns,  and  were  in  doubt  as 
to  our  being  the  genuine  article,  because  those  append 
ages  seemed  to  be  wanting.  We  soon  resumed  our 
march,  and  treated  them  to  "Down  with  the  traitors  and 
up  with  the  stars, "  in  full  chorus,  as  we  passed  through 
the  streets.  We  made  a  detour  to  the  southeast  after 
leaving  the  village,  on  account  of  the  burnt  bridge,  and 
waded  a  beautiful  running  stream  some  miles  away, 
which  we  think  was  the  same  Little  Bayou  Pere.  It  was 
several  yards  wide  and  about  half  leg  deep.  We  strip 
ped  off  our  shoes  and  stockings  and  went  into  it  with  a 
relish.  It  was  truly  grateful  to  our  sore  and  heated  feet. 
After  leaving  Port  Gibson  we  found  the  road  lined  with 
gaping  darkies,  all  ready  to  welcome  us.  Some  of  them 
joined  us  that  day  to  share  the  fortunes  of  war  with  us 
to  the  end.  We  passed  some  very  pretty  places,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  81 

moved  in  all  about  fifteen  miles,  camping  at  last  near 
the  Big  Bayou  Pere,  northwest  of  Port  Gibson,  about 
half-past  nine  at  night.  We  were  certainly  tired  enough 
to  rest,  after  the  excitement  of  the  two  days,  and  the 
experience  of  the  previous  night. 

The  country  through  which  we  had  come  from  the 
river  was  to  us  a  wonder.  Without  mountains  or  rocks, 
it  was  the  most  rugged  we  had  ever  seen,  being  a  con 
tinual  succession  of  sharp  pitches  from  fifty  to  a  hundred 
feet  high.  It  was  up  and  down  for  a  while,  through 
cuts  in  the  hills  that  were  almost  defiles,  with  the  stiff 
clay  forming  perpendicular  walls  on  either  hand,  and 
then  winding  along  on  the  surmounted  crest  of  one  of 
those  zigzag,  dirt  waves,  or  hog's  backs,  for  as  much 
longer,  to  dip  for  a  transverse  section  at  last,  with  but 
little  gained  for  all  our  toiling. 

The  forests,  which  were  abundant,  were  luxurious  and 
brilliant.  We  no.iceJ  the  oak  in  upwards  of  twenty  va 
rieties,  from  the  shrub-like  chincapin,  to  the  lofty  yellow 
and  Spanish.  The  poplar,  or  tulip  tree,  in  full  bloom, 
was  everywhere  in  its  majestic  beauty.  The  chestnut, 
beech,  maple,  linden,  elm,  ash,  cottonwood,  hickory, 
pecan,  black  walnut,  sycamore,  sweet  and  black  gum, 
pine,  mulberry,  hackberry,  hornbeam,  dogwood,  per 
simmon,  sassafras,  holly  and  bay  were  abundant,  with 
the  splendid  magnolia  grandiflora.  and  the  wonderful 
umbrella  tree,  both  in  blossom.  The  flowers  of  the  lat 
ter,  of  the  purest  white,  were-  nearly  a  foot  across.  Add 


82  HISTORY  OF  THE 


to  these  the  monstrous  grapevines,  and  the  many  shrubs 
unknown  to  us,  with  which  the  woods  were  filled,  and 
the  picture  of  vegetation  is  large  enough,  if  not  com 
plete.  The  cultivated  fields  were  for  the  most  part  side 
hills,  plowed  and  planted  in  water  tables,  to  keep  them 
from  washing,  but  the  corn  and  cotton  were  fine,  show 
ing  that  the  soil  was  productive,  and  that  industry, 
whether  black  or  white,  was  sure  to  be  rewarded  here. 
Only  man  is  at  fault  in  all  this  southern  land. 

The  morning  of  May  3d  we  crossed  the  Big  Bayou 
Pere  just  after  daylight,  on  a  suspension  bridge,  which 
the  enemy  had  tried  to  burn,  but  which  we  had  repaired 
the  night  before.  It  swung  some  and  looked  scary,  as 
we  passed  over  the  charred  timbers,  but  the  cables  were 
all  right,  and  we  crossed  safely  to  find  plenty  of  rebel 
"sign."  Their  picket-fires  were  yet  smouldering  within 
a  few  rods  of  the  bridge.  Our  brigade  was  in  the  ad 
vance,  and  we  pushed  along  briskly  for  about  a  mile, 
when  "bang"  went  a  cannon  on  a  hill  in  front  of  us,  fol 
lowed  by  the  bursting  of  a  shell  and  a  puff  of  smoke 
almost  directly  over  our  heads.  This  was  followed  by 
another  and  another  very  soon. 

We  were  easily  halted  and  soon  formed  in  line  of  bat 
tle,  our  regiment  to  the  left  of  the  road  in  an  orchard. 
After  waiting  a  little  for  our  artillery,  we  commenced 
advancing  through  the  corn  fields,  cane  brakes,  briar 
patches  and  woods,  and  over  the  fences,  in  the  broiling 
sun,  in  hopes  to  catch  a  handful  of  saucy  rebels,  who 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  83 


were  covering  their  retreat,  and  trying  to  keep  us  from 
intercepting  their  forces,  which  were  just  then  evacuating 
Grand  Gulf. 

We  moved  in  this  way  about  three  miles,  to  our  great 
disgust,  during  which  there  was  a  little  skirmishing,  but 
we  did  not  share  in  it.  We  then  resumed  our  flank 
movement  in  the  dust  and  heat,  and  kept  it  up  till  ten 
at  night,  when  we  camped  within  three  miles  of  Big 
Black  river,  above  Grand  Gulf,  to  find  the  enemy  had 
crossed  at  three  o'clock  that  afternoon.  About  seventy 
stragglers  were  taken  by  our  forces,  and  we  picketed 
the  river  that  night,  across  which  a  bullet  occasionally 
straggled  when  we  talked  too  loud.  This  was  a  very 
trying  day's  march  for  us,  having  been  upwards  of 
twenty  miles,  of  which  three  were  in  line  of  battle.  But 
we  should  not  have  qared  had  not  the  Johnnies  slipped 
through  our  fingers  so  easily. 

The  next  three  days  we  moved  only  a  few  rods  to  get 
a  better  shade,  and  spent  our  time  mostly  in  resting, 
which  we  much  needed.  On  the  night  of  the  4th  we 
were  roused  from  slumber,  and  compelled  to  sit  up  by 
a  heavy  rain,  to  keep  our  blankets  dry,  which  could  not 
be  carried  if  wet.  A  vision  of  a  Lieutenant  is  before 
our  eye  as  we  write  to-day,  who,  after  rolling  up  his 
blanket  and  shawl,  and  getting  them  under  either  arm, 
with  his  rubber  about  his  neck,  sat  down  on  a  log  on  a 
steep  hillside,  where  he  got  to  sleep,  fell  off  on  the 
lower  side  of  the  log,  and  rolled  nearly  to  the  bottom  of 


84  HISTORY  OF  THE  124-111 

the  hill  before  he  could  stop.  The  next  day  our  tents 
came  up,  by  the  way  of  Grand  Gulf,  which  put  an  end 
to  such  soldiering.  Our  communication  was  now  open 
with  the  whole  outside  world  again,  and  our  mails  were 
large.  Gen.  Sherman's  corps  passed  us  while  lying 
here,  and  about  this  time  Col.  Sloan  overtook  us  and 
assumed  command,  while  Col.  Marsh  left  us  forever, 
and  was  succeeded  by  Brig.  Gen.  John  E.  Smith,  for 
merly  of  the  45th  Illinois. 

On  the  /th  we  were  in  motion  again,  and  went  about 
five  miles,  when  we  halted  for  McClernand  to  pass  us, 
which  he  did,  evidently  moving  rather  to  the  left,  nearer 
the  Big  Black  than  we.  He  was  so  long  in  passing  that 
we  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night,  and  occupied  them 
the  next  day  and  night.  On  the  8th  we  had  our  last 
dress  parade  till  after  the  fall  of  Vicksburg.  We  also 
received  congratulatory  general  orders  from  Grant,  on 
crossing  the  river  and  effecting  a  secure  lodgment  in  the 
enemy's  territory.  The  pth  we  struck  tents  about  one 
in  the  afternoon,  and  marched  about  seven  miles,  pass 
ing  the  little  hamlet  of  Rocky  Springs.  A  part  of  the 
way  we  had  a  delightful  road,  on  a  ridge  heavily  shaded 
with  towering  pines.  < 

Sunday,  the  loth,  we  were  astir  early  but  did  not 
move  till  after  one,  when  we  made  about  eight  miles, 
passing  through  the  badly  used  up  village  of  Utica,  and 
camping  by  a  tannery,  some  two  miles  beyond.  Here 
special  orders  were  issued  for  each  regiment  to  be  in 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  85 

line  of  battle,  fully  equiped,  one  hour  before  daybreak 
every  morning,  and  to  have  no  music  till  further  orders. 
The  latter  was  literally  obeyed  for  nearly  two  months. 
Not  a  note  of  music  was  heard  in  the  whole  command 
till  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg. 


86  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 


CHAPTER    Vlll. 


Feeling  our  way. — May  12th. — Pickets  run  a  race  to  catch  up. — Ray 
mond. — Our  first  man  killed. — The  Quartermaster's  story. — Corpo 
ral  Brown. — Into  the  village  in  style. — Our  loss. — Rebel  news. — On 
to  Clinton. — Col.  Sloan  in  arrest. — Toward  Jackson. — Rain  and 
mud. — Double-quicking  for  a  fight. — Over  Crocker's  battlefield. — 
Jackson  evacuated. — Camp  by  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Institute. — Back 
track. — Burying  the  Dead.— Eighteen  miles  toward  Vicksburg. — 
Champion  Hills. — 43d  Georgia. — Battery  taken. — Our  loss,  and  inci 
dents. — A  night  ride  and  a  scare. — On  to  the  Big  Black. — Crossing, 
and  on  to  Vicksburg. 


ON  THE  nth  of  May  we  were  in  line  of  battle  at 
three  o'clock,  according-  to  orders.  During-  the 
day  we  moved  about  three  miles,  the  enemy  evidently 
being  in  front  of  us,  and  our  officers  feeling  their  way 
very  carefully.  Companies  H  and  I  were  ordered  on 
picket  and  stationed  about  a  mile  away,  off  the  line  of 
march.  The  morning  of  the  I2th  the  command  started 
early,  Logan's  division  in  the  advance.  By  some  over 
sight  the  pickets  were  not  relieved  till  after  the  regiment 
had  gone,  and  had  to  run  a  race  to  overtake  it,  pass 
ing  by  the  whole  of  Crocker's  division,  and  much  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  87 

their  own.      When  they  came  up  the  teams  were  corral 
led,  and  firing  was  heard  ahead. 

About  noon  the  halt  was  general,  and  preparations 
lively.  Soon  the  firing  became  heavy,  and  two  men  in 
company  A  were  hit.  We  were  deployed  to  the  right, 
and  moved  forward  through  an  old  field,  with  shells 
striking  quite  frequently  a  little  to  our  left.  Seeing  this, 
we  were  moved  by  the  flank  farther  to  the  right,  and 
then  by  front,  in  line  of  battle,  into  some  heavy  woods, 
with  the  45th  on  our  right.  Company  B  was  deployed 
as  skirmishers.  As  our  artillery  got  into  position  the 
firing  became  tremendous  ;  and  soon  the  musketry  was 
heavier  than  the  cannonading.  We  lay  down  awhile, 
and  then  advanced  a  few  rods  to  lie  down  again.  The 
timber  was  very  thick,  and  as  we  could  see  nothing,  we 
had  not  yet  fired  a  gun.  Soon  the  bullets  began  to 
rattle,  and  to  cut  the  leaves  over  us,  which  came  sifting 
down  upon  us.  We  must  have  lain  in  this  place 
for  an  hour  or  more,  during  which  time  the  spit  and  zip 
of  the  balls  was  incessant,  and  the  crash  deafening.  But 
fortunately  for  us  the  bullets  flew  just  above  us,  as  the 
trees  accurately  proved.  At  last  there  was  talk  of  rebels 
in  sight,  and  though  we  had  instructions  not  to  fire,  for 
our  skirmishers  must  be  in  our  front,  Capt.  Scudder,  of 
company  G,  which  was  then  our  left,  said  he  knew  he 
saw  * 'greybacks, "  and  sung  out  "fire."  Maj  Pattison 
repeated  it,  and  the  left  of  the  regiment  put  in  a  volley 
or  two  in  good  style. 

We  were   soon  ordered   forward,  and  in   a  few  steps 


HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


found  ourselves  in  a  wooded  creek  bed,  a  couple  of  yards 
wide,  and  the  banks  of  which  were  some  seven  or  eight 
feet  deep.  Here  the  Johnnies  had  evidently  been  lying 
till  within  a  very  few  minutes.  Our  skirmishers  had 
moved  more  to  the  right  and  failed  to  strike  them.  We 
passed  rapidly  out  of  the  woods  into  an  open  field,  upon 
entering  which  we  found  some  wounded  rebels,  who  had 
probably  fallen  under  our  fire,  as  they  said  they  had 
just  been  hit.  Among  them  was  a  rebel  Captain.  Maj. 
Pattison  took  his  sword,  and  some  of  our  men  carried 
him  into  the  shade.  We  pushed  on  a  few  rods  and 
raised  the  brow  of  a  hill  in  hopes  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
foe  ;  but  none  was  in  sight.  Whether  by  command,  or 
involuntarily,  we  halted,  and  stood  for  a  moment.  Sud 
denly  the  wind  began  to  rush  by  us  strangely,  and  the 
bullets  sang  among  us  like  a  nest  of  bumblebees,  and  a 
crash  was  heard  from  a  fence  and  thicket  on  our  right 
front.  It  was  almost  an  enfilading  fire,  hitting  several, 
instantly  killing  John  Martin,  of  company  E,  and  mor 
tally  wounding  Josiah  W.  Goodwin,  of  company  D. 
We  were  clear  ahead  of  our  command.  We  dropped 
down  a  moment,  but  soon  rising  poured  it  into  them  for 
a  few  volleys,  when  they  ceased  firing  and  "skedaddled." 
We  moved  forward  a  little  farther,  but  were  soon  or 
dered  by  an  aid  to  fall  back  under  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
the  enemy  having  taken  a  battery  in  position  directly  in 
our  front.  This  we  did,  and  our  guns  soon  opened  upon 
them.  They  replied  spiritedly  for  a  few  minutes,  some 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


of  the  shells  passing-  over  our  heads,  but  directly  they 
"limbered  to  the  rear,"  and  the  firing-  ceased. 

Quartermaster  Reece  tells  his  story  as  follows :  "I 
had  ridden  forward  with  "Judge"  Austin,  our  Ordnance 
Sergeant,  and  halted  on  the  top  of  a  hill  to  lunch. 
While  we  could  see  troops  being  moved  here  and  there, 
we  did  not  dream  the  enemy  was  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  ravine.  We  had  seated  ourselves  under  a  tree, 
and  just  commenced  our  dinner,  when,  whiz  went  a  shell 
over  our  heads.  To  say  we  were  surprised  would  not 
begin  to  express  it.  Soon  another  shell  came,  and  an 
other,  until  it  was  evident  we  were  drawing  the  fire  of 
the  enemy,  and  I  suggested  to  Austin  that  we  had  bet 
ter  go  to  the  rear,  as  doubtless  the  teams  required  our 
attention.  By  this  time  the  engagement  became  gen 
eral,  and  the  roaring  of  the  musketry  and  hissing  of  the 
shells  was  terrible.  Soon  orders  came  for  Austin  and 
his  ammunition  team,  and  as  he  was  moving  down  the 
road,  Lieut.  Warner,  acting  Quartermaster  of  the  2Oth 
Illinois,  came  up  and  requested  me  to  go  with  him  to  the 
battle-field.  Lieut.  Col.  Richards,  of  his  regiment,  had 

o 

been  shot,  who  had  brought  him  up  as  a  boy,  and  he 
wished  to  find  him.  As  we  rode  across  the  open  field 
before  reaching  the  woods  where  the  2Oth  were  engaged, 
it  seemed  as  though  every  shot  fired  went  over  this 
space.  LTpon  reaching  the  timber  we  found  about 
twenty  of  the  regiment  lying  in  a  row,  cold  and  stiff  in 
death,  and  among  them  Lieut.  Col.  Richards.  As  I 
could  be  of  no  use  to  Lieut.  Warner,  I  rode  around 


90  HISTORY  OF  THE   124x11 

near  the  bridge  where  Austin  was  distributing  cartridges, 
when  Gen.  Leggett,  riding  by,  ordered  me  to  seek  a 
safer  position  for  my  team,  on  account  of  so  many  shells 
falling  near  the  wagon.  I  must  confess  this  order  was 
welcome,  as  the  place  was  too  warm  for  me.  But  just 
as  I  was  leaving.  Corp.  Brown  of  our  regiment,  came 
running  to  me  and  asked  for  transportation  to  the  rear, 
because  he  was  shot.  Upon  asking  him  where,  he  re 
plied,  <4In  my  side,  and  the  blood  is  running  down  ;  you 
must  take  me  to  a  surgeon."  I  told  him  I  could  see  no 
blood,  and  proceeded  to  examine  him,  to  find  that  his. 
canteen  had  been  struck  by  a  spent  ball,  and  the  con 
tents  were  running  down  his  side.  He  had  felt  the  clip 
and  the  wet,  which  he  supposed  was  blood.  When  he 
found  the  true  state  of  affairs,  it  is  remarkable  what  a 
change  came  over  him.  But  he  soon  settled  the  ques 
tion  of  going  to  the  rear,  by  double-quicking  it  over  the 
hill  to  the  regiment." 

Our  whole  division  soon  advanced  on  Raymond, 
which  was  nearly  two  miles  ahead,  moving  most  of  the 
way  in  line  of  battle  by  regiments  ;  a  sort  of  straggling 
echelon.  The  country  was  open  and  the  display  was 
fine.  We  halted  for  an  hour  or  more  in  the  town,  which 
is  the  county  seat  of  Hinds  county.  Then  we  moved 
about  a  mile  beyond,  and  camped  at  the  base  of  a  beau 
tiful  height,  getting  settled  before  dark. 

The  loss  of  our  brigade  in  this  battle  was  considerable, 
though  ours,  as  a  regiment,  was  slight.  The  2Oth  lost 
eighty,  killed  and  wounded,  including  four  commissioned 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  91 


officers  killed.  The  236  Indiana  lost  ninety,  killed  and 
wounded,  and  thirty  prisoners.  The  3ist  Illinois  also 
suffered  badly,  but  the  45th  much  less.  The  rebel  loss 
must  have  been  heavy,  and  Gen.  Tilghman  was  killed. 
A  portion  of  the  time  it  was  almost  a  hand  to  hand 
fight,  and  Capt.  Holcomb,  on  Gen.  Logan's  staff, 
affirmed  that  the  crash  of  musketry  was  more  terrific  for 
about  an  hour  than  at  Donelson  or  Shiloh.  How  we 
could  go  through  it  and  lose  no  more,  was  a  wonder  to 
us  all.  Dr.  Kay  was  left  with  our  wounded,  in  charge 
of  the  division  hospital. 

The  next  morning  we  obtained  a  Jackson  paper  of  the 
1 2th,  giving  an  account  of  Hooker's  great  battle,  and 
the  death  of  "Stonewall"  Jackson.  It  also  told  us  of 
our  own  movements,  that  we  were  to  be  whipped  near 
Raymond,  and  would  never  reach  Jackson,  if  that  was 
our  objective  point.  But  it  complained  sadly  of  the 
behavior  of  some  of  Johnston's  new  levies,  and  various 
other  things  in  connection  with  the  scare  at  the  Capital. 
Evidently  this  part  of  Mississippi  was  in  no  very  envi 
able  frame  of  mind. 

While  lying  upon  our  arms  by  the  roadside,  General 
Sherman's  forces  passed  us  again,  taking  what  was  called 
the  Mississippi  Springs  road  to  our  right.  We  soon 
after  moved  nearly  due  north,  Crocker's  division  in  the 
advance.  The  day  was  hot  and  the  roads  dusty  for  a 
while,  but  before  we  reached  Clinton  we  were  refreshed 
bv  a  fine  shower,  and  found  ourselves  at  a  romantic  vil- 


92  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


lage,  eight  miles    north  of  Raymond    and  ten    west  of 
Jackson. 

Owing  to  some  mistake  in  assignments  we  did  not  get 
into  camp  till  far  into  the  night,  which  was  exceedingly 
dark,  and  yet  we  had  reached  Clinton  quite  early.  The 
men  were  wet  and  weary,  the  camp  very  steep  and  rug 
ged,  and  our  teams  slow  in  finding  us.  It  was  about  as 
unpleasant  as  it  could  well  be,  we  thought,  and  conse 
quently  very  productive  of  hard  words  and  complainings. 

The  morning  of  the  I4th  we  slept  late;  it  was  broad 
daylight  when  we  began  to  arouse  ourselves,  and  we 
wondered  what  it  meant.  Upon  looking  toward  our 
Colonel's  tent  we  saw  no  stir,  though  other  regiments 
were  all  alive  as  usual.  It  soon  flashed  upon  our  con 
sciousness  that  the  Colonel's  nap  had  been  too  long, 
though  we  could  hardly  blame  him.  Directly  an  Orderly 
called  upon  him  and  inquired  why  his  regiment  was  not 
in  line.  We  were  all  routed  instantly,  but  too  late  for 
the  line.  Very  soon  thereafter  an  officer  came  for  the 
Colonel's  sword,  and  upon  falling  in  Lieut.  Col.  Howe 
took  command  of  the  regiment,  while  Col.  Sloan  rode  in 
the  rear.  His  excuse  was,  that  his  Orderly  had  failed 
to  awaken  him,  so  poor  Robert  Hogaboom  alone  was  to 
blame. 

We  took  the  road  for  Jackson,  Crocker's  division  in 
the  advance  again.  The  morning  was  heavy  and 
threatening.  Soon  it  began  to  pour  down  rain,  and  the 
men  were  thoroughly  drenched;  and  the  mud.  too, 
became  fearful,  a  kind  of  thin  porridge  from  six  to  eight 


ILLINOIS  INFAN.TRY.  93 

inches  deep  in  places,  and  in  others  a  heavy,  sticky  clay 
that  almost  held  us  fast.  After  a  little  respite  a  second 
shower  began,  heavier  than  ever.  It  also  became  cooler, 
and  as  the  drenched  boys  struggled  on  under  their 
heavier  loads,  it  would  sometimes  strike  to  their  stom 
achs,  and  they  would  stop  by  the  roadside  and  vomit  as 
though  tRey  were  sea-sick.  But  still  on. 

Soon  we  began  to  hear  firing  ahead,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  we  were  moved  onto  the  railroad  track  and  hastened 
forward  for  the  fight.  Presently  the  musketry  rattle 
was  heard,  and  our  speed  became  a  double  quick,  though 
not  till  our  knapsacks  were  disposed  of.  The  rain  also 
ceased  for  a  time,  and  on  we  went  for  a  couple  of  miles, 
till  all  who  could  keep  up  were  in  a  glow  of  heat,  that 
bid  defiance  to  cooler  air  and  wet  clothing.  The  firing 
ceased,  but,  "On  the  right  by  file  into  line,  double- 
quick,  march,"  rang  out,  and  off  the  railroad  to  the 
right  like  a  cracking  whip  we  went,  up  a  smart  pitch 
into  the  bushes,  and  swept  on.  We  soon  came  to  our 
dead  and  wounded,  and  so  knew  we  were  on  our  battle 
field.  But  neither  friend  or  foe  was  there,  save  the  help 
less,  and  we  halted.  A  few  moments  and  we  moved  on 
again,  though  not  so  fast.  Past  the  rebel  dead  and 
wounded  we  went.  Our  whole  brigade  came  up,  and 
other  troops,  and  alternately  advancing  and  halting,  still 
in  line  of  battle,  some  two  or  three  hours  passed.  Now 
we  would  stand  in  a  plowed  field,  over  shoe  in  mud,  till 
we  were  chilled  through  and  through.  Then  we  would 
find  solid  footing  for  a  little  while  in  a  skirt  of  timber. 


94  HISTORY  OF  THE  i24'rii 

But  no  more  enemy  ;  no  more  firing  ;  a  little  more  rain  ; 
a  great  deal  of  wonder,  and  later,  a  wagon  train  in  the 
distance,  moving  north. 

Soon  a  column  of  smoke  began  to  rise  to  the  east  of 
us,  in  the  direction  of  Jackson.  It  looked  like  burning 
grease  ;  what  could  it  be  ?  Directly  cheering  was  heard. 
An  Orderly  brought  us  the  news,  Jackson  was  evacu 
ated  ;  Johnston  had  fired  his  commissary  stores  and 
"skedaddled."  It  was  then  two  o'clock. 

The  wagon  train  we  had  seen  on  the  ridge  to  the 
north  was  that  of  the  rebels,  and  we  with  others  started 
in  pursuit,  but  the  chase  was  soon  given  up  as  hopeless. 
They  had  too  much  of  a  start,  so  we  turned  back  and 
went  into  camp,  as  wet  as  drowned  rats,  near  the  Deaf 
and  Dumb  Institute,  west  of  the  city.  We  found  this 
used  by  them  as  a  hospital,  and  their  Surgeons  still  on 
duty.  Jackson,  the  capital  of  Mississippi,  was  ours, 
but  we  had  not  helped  to  take  it,  neither  did  we  see  it. 
We  said  surely,  that  night  as  we  dried  our  pants  and 
drawers  on  sticks  by  our  fires,  and  tried  to  make  our 
selves  comfortable,  surely  we  shall  now  have  a  little  rest, 
and  to-morrow  we  shall  see  the  city. 

But  to-morrow  came,  and  at  half-past  six  we  took  our 
back  track.  Why,  we  could  not  tell ;  it  was  all  dark  to 
us ;  we  little  knew  that  Pemberton  had  marched  out  of 
Vickburg,  thinking  that  while  McPherson  and  Sher 
man  were  at  Jackson,  he  could  eat  up  McClernand  on 
the  Big  Black.  And  so  we  little  scented  the  wisdom  of 
the  move  we  were  so  reluctantly  making. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  V)5 

As  we  moved  back  over  the  battlefield  of  yesterday 
we  saw  a  party  burying  the  dead.  In  one  trench  seven 
teen  of  our  boys  were  laid,  with  their  faces  exposed  as 
we  looked  on  them  in  that  peaceful  morning  light. 
Many  of  them  had  feet  badly  blistered  by  their  march 
to  die,  with  their  shoes  cut  open  here  and  there  to  re 
lieve  the  pain.  Their  clothing  was  soaking  wet,  and 
their  pants  stiff  with  mud  to  their  knees.  Some  of  them 
looked  strangely  pleasant,  some  so  frightful.  One  had 
a  Testament  firmly  grasped  in  his  hands,  open  as  though 
he  had  died  reading  it.  His  face  wore  a  smile,  and  we 
wondered  how  many  of  them  had  lingered  long  hours 
in  agony,  ere  the  relief  of  death  came  to  them,  perhaps 
in  the  night — the  dark,  lonely  night.  Such  is  war,  and 
we  turned,  sickening,  away. 

Past  Clinton,  eighteen  miles  directly  toward  Vicks- 
burg.  we  marched  the  I5th.  The  going  had  improved 
greatly,  the  air  was  cooler,  and  the  distance  was  made 
with  comparative  ease.  Our  camp  was  lovely  that  night, 
and  we  enjoyed  it  much. 

The  sun  of  May  1 6th  rose  hot.  We  got  off  about 
nine  o'clock  as  rear  guard,  and  moved  along  quite 
briskly.  At  half-past  eleven  we  came  to  where  a  large 
quantity  of  cotton  was  burning  by  the  roadside,  and 
halted.  While  there  we  heard  the  roar  of  cannon  on 
our  left  front,  which  soon  became  heavy  and  incessant. 
Soon  we  moved  on,  and  directly  found  our  trains  all 
corraled.  "Unsling  knapsacks,  "  was  followed  by  "dou 
ble-quick,"  which  we  had  come  to  know  meant  business. 


96  HISTORY  OF  THE  1 34-™ 

We  rapidly  passed  to  the  right  of  what  seemed  to  be 
the  brunt  of  the  battle,  as  it  was  then  raging,  up  a  long 
slope  under  a  scattering  fire,  and  were  ordered  to  lie 
down  for  a  few  minutes,  in  line  of  battle,  just  under  the 
brow  of  the  hill.  A  battery,  under  Maj.  Stollbrand, 
Logan's  Chief  of  Artillery,  was  playing  on  the  foe  from 
our  right  and  left.  Gen.  Smith  and  staff  were  near, 
looking  anxious.  We  were  ordered  to  load,  and  fix 
bayonets,  as  there  was  fear  of  a  rebel  charge  upon  the 
guns  on  our  left  ;  but  the  fear  was  groundless.  Hovey 
was  giving  them  about  all  they  could  manage  in  that 
direction.  We  were  soon  ordered  forward,  and  rose  the 
brow  of  the  hill  to  find  the  land  open  in  front  of  us  for  a 
considerable  distance.  It  gently  descended  for  about 
forty  rods,  to  rise  again  nearly  as  much  farther,  to  the 
foot  of  an  abrupt  pitch,  on  the  top  of  which  a  rebel  bat 
tery  was  placed,  and  doing  rapid  execution.  Between 
us  and  that  were  several  high  rail  fences,  and  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  beneath  the  battery,  their  troops  were  massed 
against  the  yellowish  bank,  almost  the  color  of  the 
ground  they  were  hugging.  These  were  raining  upon 
us,  while  the  woods  to  our  left  were  full  of  our  forces 
and  the  rebels  in  fierce  conflict. 

We  commenced  firing  rapidly  and  moved  forward 
quartering  over  the  first  fence,  and  down  through  the 
fields  over  the  others.  A  little  trouble  was  experienced 
in  unfixing  bayonets,  which  interfered  with  our  loading, 
but  our  ranks  did  not  falter.  The  battery  poured  grape 
and  cannister  into  us,  but  we  were  descending  and  they 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  97 

mostly  overshot  us.  Wildly  we  swept  on,  and  our  exe 
cution  upon  the  foe  was  fearful.  Our  ranks,  too,  thin 
ned,  but  our  momentum  was  irresistible.  The  rebels 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  we  neared  them,  threw  down 
their  arms  and  begged  for  mercy.  Scarcely  a  man 
escaped.  The  Captain  of  the  battery  fell,  pierced  with 
twelve  bullets.  Horses  had  remained  hitched  to  some 
of  the  pieces,  to  be  piled  dead  in  a  gateway  and  ob 
struct  the  passage.  The  four  guns  were  ours,  and  the 
resistance  ceased. 

This  proved  to  have  been  a  flanking  movement,  turn 
ing  the  enemy's  left,  and  it  had  been  perfectly  success 
ful.  By  the  time  it  was  accomplished  they  were  in  full 
retreat,  and  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills  was  over. 
We  had  gone  into  action  with  about  350  men,  and  taken 
nearly  that  number  of  prisoners,  mostly  from  the  43d 
Georgia,  which  opposed  us  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  They 
went  into  action  with  850  men,  300  of  whom  were  taken 
prisoners  and  250  killed  and  wounded.  Their  Colonel, 
Skid  Harris,  fell  mortally  wounded,  and  their  Major,  J. 
W.  Anderson,  was  killed  on  the  spot.  Both  were  neatly 
buried  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  near  where  they  fell,  by 
our  men  the  next  day.  We  covered  ourselves  with 
glory,  but  at  the  cost  of  many  precious  lives. 

Our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  63.  Of  these 
Martin  Lenox,  Alphonso  Rice,  Geo.  A.  Snow,  and  Pe 
ter  F.  Shyler,  of  company  H,  Henry  Shultz,  of  com 
pany  D,  and  Henry  C.  Ferguson,  of  company  I,  were 
killed  outright,  and  buried  in  one  grave  on  the  field. 


98  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

Orderly  Sergeant  Hiram  J.  Howland,  of  company  E, 
Orderly  Sergeant  John  Vlerebone,  of  company  C,  and 
Henry  T.  Forrest,  of  company  I,  lived  a  few  hours,  and 
Thomas  Broadbent,  of  D,  John  Kidston,  ol  E,  Nathan 
iel  Copper,  of  F,  John  T.  Bates,  and  Charles  Shafer,  of 
G,  George  P.  Hezlep  and  Thompson  Thomas,  of  I,  and 
James  T.  Keen,  of  K,  all  died  of  their  wounds. 

Several  of  our  officers  had  narrow  escapes.  Capt. 
Scudder  was  hit  by  a  ball  which  cut  a  gash  nearly  two 
inches  long  on  the  top  of  his  head.  A  trifle  taller  and 
the  Captain — who  was  over  six  feet — would  not  have 
shared  in  our  victory.  Capt.  Sanders  was  shot  through 
the  neck  by  a  buck  shot,  the  two  wounds  being  about 
two  inches  apart,  but  neither  of  these  officers  left  the 
regiment.  Orderly  Sergeant  Abraham  Newland,  com 
pany  D,  was  shot  in  the  face,  and  left  to  die  upon  the 
field,  but  was  picked  up  later,  and  carried  to  the  hospi 
tal,  to  recover  and  become  the  honored  Captain  of  his 
company.  A  story  about  him  deserves  to  be  told,  as 
illustrating  the  temperance  principles  of  the  regiment, 
he  being  one  of  tl  e  Good  Templar  members.  His  jaws 
and  mouth  seemed  to  be  all  shot  to  pieces,  and  he  was 
apparently  in  a  sinking  condition.  Seeing  this,  Surgeon 
Angell  directed  him  to  have  a  little  brandy,  which  the 
dying  man,  as  they  thought  him  to  be,  refused.  Later 
the  Surgeon-  himself  told  him  he  must  take  some  stimu 
lant  or  die.  Newland  motioned  for  paper  and  pencil 
and  wrote,  "If  I  die,  I  will  die  sober."  This  seemed 
to  anger  the  Surgeon  for  a  moment,  and  turning  away, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  99 


he  muttered,  "Die,  then."  But  his  great  heart  triumphed 
over  his  professional  pride,  and  he  gave  the  Sergeant 
the  best  of  attention,  to  see  him  rally  and  get  well,  with 
scarcely  a  trace  of  the  wound. 

Adj't.  W.  E.  Smith  was  seriously  wounded  in  the 
thigh;  Lieut.  B.  A.  Griffith  lost  a  thumb,  and  Capt. 
Field  was  twice  grazed,  the  last  time  sharply,  cutting 
the  clothing  in  three  places,  by  passing  balls. 

Shultz,  of  Company  D,  had  been  on  duty  with  the 
teams  for  months,  till  after  they  were  corraled  for  this 
fight,  when  he  was  ordered  by  his  Captain  to  take  a  gun 
and  go  with  the  company,  which  he  did  without  a  mur 
mur,  only  to  die.  Many  incidents  of  personal  bravery 
occurred,  but  to  tell  them  were  almost  invidious  where 
all  were  so  brave.  The  whole  regiment,  from  Colonel 
Howe  down,  seemed  to  regret  the  close  of  the  battle. 
Having  gotten  well  into  it,  and  punishing  the  rebels 
badly,  it  did  not  last  quite  long  enough.  We  seemed 
to  be  transformed  into  furies,  with  a  passion  for  war. 
Certainly  we  were  veterans  now. 

We  pushed  on  about  a  mile  and  bivouacked  in  a  piece 
of  woods,  to  find,  as  the  excitement  passed,  that  we 
greatly  needed  rest.  Others  were  in  the  advance,  and 
firing  through  the  night  was  occasional..  The  next 
morning  we  moved  early  to  the  music  of  cannonading 
ahead.  Dead  rebels  were  frequently  passed  by  the 
roadside,  and  prisoners  were  corraled  here  and  there. 
Moved  rapidly  till  about  ten  o'clock,  when  the  firing 
seemed  to  have  ceased,  and  we  stacked  arms  in  a  nar 


100  HISTORY  OF  THE 


row  strip  of  woods,  between  the  road  and  the  Big  Black 
river,  about  two  miles  above  the  railroad  bridge.  Here 
we  learned  of  the  successes  of  the  morning,  at  the  cross 
ing  below  us,  and  that  the  enemy  that  had  escaped  us 
was  retreating  in  disorder  upon  Vicksburg,  after  des 
troying  all  the  bridges. 

So,  Pemberton's  effort  to  surprise  McClernand  and 
defeat  Grant,  in  detail,  had  ended  in  his  own  utter  dis 
comfiture,  in  the  loss  of  thousands  of  men  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners,  and  all  the  artillery  he  had  this 
side  of  the  Big  Black ;  as  we  afterwards  learned,  over 
eighty  pieces  of  cannon.  Instead  of  his  surprising  us, 
he  was  surprised.  Upon  the  testimony  of  a  rebel  Lieu 
tenant,  one  of  his  batteries  went  into  position  six  times 
at  Champion  Hill,  and  then  was  captured  without  hav 
ing  fired  a  shot. 

An  extract  from  the  Quartermaster's  diary  will  be  rel 
ished  at  this  point :  "I  was  anxious  to  see  the  ground 
over  \vhich  Gen.  Hovey's  division  had  fought,  for  from 
my  position  it  seemed  that  they  had  done  some  of  the 
hardest  fighting  of  the  day.  As  I  rode  through  the 
woods  it  was  quite  dark,  and  when  I  reached  points 
where  the  forces  had  been  massed,  I  could  hardly  keep 
my  horse  from  stepping  on  dead  or  wounded  soldiers. 
Several  clung  to  my  horse  and  to  my  feet,  and  begged 
me  for  God's  sake  to  give  them  water.  Water  was  the 
cry  all  through  the  woods.  I  of  course  emptied  my  can 
teen,  but  I  could  do  no  more.  I  cannot  describe  the 
scenes  of  that  night.  It  sickens  me  to  think  of  them 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  101 

now,  and  should  I  live  a  hundred  years  they  will  never 
be  effaced  from  my  memory.  In  every  direction  could 
be  seen  the  lights  carried  by  those  in  search  of  the 
wounded,  as  they  moved  among  the  trees.  All  at  once 
I  found  myself  mixed  up  with  wheels,  caissons,  cannon, 
horses  and  dead  soldiers,  and  found  it  was  where  a  bat 
tery  had  made  its  last  desperate  stand.  It  seemed  as  if 
every  man  and  horse  had  been  killed.  Heart-sick,  I 
left  for  the  road,  soon  falling  in  with  Lieut.  Blake,  Quar 
termaster  of  the  45th,  and  my  own  Wagon  Master, 
McAuley.  We  rode  along  to  the  house  near  where  our 
regiment  had  captured  the  battery,  and  thought  we 
would  bivouack  for  the  night.  So  we  dismounted, 
hitched  our  horses,  and  lay  down  on  the  ground.  The 
house  was  used  for  a  hospital,  and  the  wounded  were 
still  being  brought  in,  which  made  it  almost  impossible 
for  us  to  get  to  sleep,  with  the  moans  and  groans  in  our 
ears.  But  we  did  fall  asleep  at  last,  to  be  suddenly 
awakened  by  what  we  supposed  was  a  cavalry  charge 
upon  us.  We  lost  no  time  in  mounting,  but  in  my 
haste  I  had  neglected  to  unhitch,  and  as  I  applied  spurs 
to  my  horse,  he  would  rear  and  pitch  so  that  I  could 
scarcelv  manage  him.  I  soon  found  out  what  was  the 

,  o 

trouble,  and  rectified  it,  and  we  ascertained  that  instead 
of  a  cavalry  charge,  we  were  the  victims  of  a  "bum 
mer's"  charge.  A  squad  of  soldiers  had  taken  a  cart 
and  filled  it  with  camp  kettles  and  cooking  utensils,  and 
hitched  a  mule  to  it,  which  was  opposed  to  working 
single.  The  result  was  a  runaway,  and  as  the  cart  came 


102  HISTORY  OF  THE  1 24/1*11 


thundering  down  the  road,  hitting  every  wagon  in  its 
way,  it  really  seemed  as  though  a  thousand  cavalrymen 
were  on  us.  Blake  and  McAuley  had  a  good  deal  of 
sport  at  my  expense,  and  it  was  really  amusing  to  hear 
them  describe  the  comical  figure  I  cut,  trying  to  make 
my  horse  pull  up  the  tree  to  which  I  had  hitched  him. 

We  remained  by  the  Big  Black  during  the  i8th,  while 
a  pontoon  bridge  was  being  built  of  lumber  from  demol 
ished  houses  and  barns.  Gen.  Sherman  had  the  only 
pontoon  train  in  the  army,  and  he  was  crossing  above 
us,  and  pushing  on  to  Haines'  Bluff  and  the  north  of 
Vicksburg.  McClernand  was  crossing  two  miles  further 
down  by  the  burnt  bridges.  While  lying  here  we  drew 
flour  and  baked  cakes  in  the  ashes.  Our  Hospital  Stew 
ard  and  Apothecary  also  joined  us  from  "Hard  Times" 
landing,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Black,  where  they 
had  been  since  we  crossed  the  Mississippi. 

A  little  after  midnight,  the  morning  of  the  igth,  we 
started  out  by  companies  as  train  guard,  and  crossed  the 
river,  halting  by  corrals,  and  staying  an  hour  or  two  in 
several  places.  Towards  daylight  we  moved  on  more 
rapidly,  and  soon  began  to  hear  heavy  firing.  This 
continued  all  day,  and  proved  for  the  most  part  to  be 
Sherman,  who  took  Haines'  Bluff,  and  opened  commu 
nication  for  us  with  Yazoo,  ere  night  fell.  In  fact,  our 
teams  started  for  rations  to  the  north  of  Vicksburg  that 
day. 

We  camped  in  various  places  that  night,  as  our  duty 
required,  but  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  we  were  relieved 


ILLINOIS  INP^ANTRY.  103 

early,  and  soon  were  a  regiment  again,  and  with  our 
brigade,  except  company  G,  which  was  corral  guard 
during  the  whole  of  the  siege  which  followed.  The 
firing  was  heavy  all  day.  We  went  into  position  under 
the  crest  of  a  hill,  where  our  batteries  were  firing  over 
us  rapidly,  and  the  bullets  from  the  enemy's  line  sing 
ing  merrily  in  reply,  and  so,  with  us,  began  the  siege  of 
Vicksburg. 


104  HISTORY  OK  THE  1241-11 


CHAPTER    IX. 


Before  Vicksburg. — The  22d  of  May. — Our  position. — Shirley's  house. 
Digging  and  sharpshootiug. — Mortar  boats. — "Giving  them  their 
coffee." — Flag  of  truce,  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. — A  charge  on 
Company  H. — Gen.  Leggett. — Headquarter  tents  up. — Col.  Sloan  in 
command.  —Raked  by  a  Parrott  gun.— Fort  Hill  blown  up. — The 
"  Slaughter  Pen." — Our  losses. — Lieut.  Pratt  killed. — Fort  blown 
up  again. — "  Abe's  "  experience. — The  beginning  of  the  end. — White 
tlags. — Under  the  oak.— Silence.— July  4th. — "  Black  your  boots."— 
"  Fall  in." — "  Hail  Columbia." — "  See  the  rebs. " — "  Forward, 
march." — Into  Vicksburg. — The  old  flag  to  the  breeze. — Cheer 
upon  cheer. 

FRESH  FROM  the  victories  of  Champion  Hills  and 
the  Big  Black,  we  expected  to  make  short  work 
with  Vicksburg.  Sherman  had  already  gained  substan 
tial  advantages  on  the  north,  taking  several  strong 
works,  and  as  soon  as  we  could  bring  up  all  our  forces, 
we  thought  to  walk  over  their  extended  lines  with  ease. 
It  could  not  be  that  the  men  whom  we  had  just  whipped 
so  terribly,  and  who  had  strewn  their  retreat  with  the 
proofs  of  their  demoralization,  would  make  any  stand. 
We  doubted  if  they  would  fully  man  their  lines,  and 
every  hour  of  the  2Oth  and  2ist  we  expected  some  new 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  105 

development,  a  conflict  it  might  be  for  a  little  time,  or 
some  discovery  of  their  weakness  which  we  could  take 
advantage  of,  that  would  end  the  campaign. 

Therefore,  as  our  batteries  went  into  position  and 
opened  on  them  fiercely,  and  on  the  night  of  the  2Oth 
advanced  nearer,  and  shelled  them  with  terrible  effect, 
we  said  they  could  not  stand  it  long,  and  it  must  be  the 
beginning  of  a  speedy  end.  But  these  days  passed 
without  any  l,ull  in  their  fire.  Their  bullets  were  sing 
ing  everywhere,  and  seemed  all  the  more  spiteful  on  ac 
count  of  our  shelling.  Vicksburg  did  not  fall. 

We  were  lying  on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill,  just  below 
its  crest,  to  the  right  of  and  near  the  Jackson  road,  due 
east  of  the  city.  A  few  trees  were  over  us,  serving  for 
shade  and  to  brace  against  in  our  sleep,  lest  we  should 
slip  out  of  our  pants,  if  not  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill. 
What  was  beyond  we  scarcely  knew,  though  we  after 
wards  learned  there  were  more  such  hills,  on  which  the 
trees  had  been  felled,  where  there  were  any,  and  briars 
and  cane  were  growing,  forming  a  perfect  abatis.  The 
hills  were  nearly  a  hundred  feet  high  where  we  were, 
and  very  steep,  running  in  nearly  every  direction,  but 
mainly  parallel  to  the  rebel  lines.  Twisting  and  tortu 
ous  were  the  snake-like  defiles  between  them. 

Gen.  McPherson  held  the  center  of  the  lines.  On  our 
right  was  Ransom's  brigade,  of  McArthur's  division  of 
our  corps.  Next  to  him  was  Blair's  division  of  Sher 
man's  corps,  in  plain  sight.  Then  the  rebel  line  angled 
west  to  the  river,  and  was  opposed  by  Tuttle  and  Steele 


106  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

under  Sherman.  On  the  left  of  our  division,  under 
Logan,  was  Crocker's.  Then  McClernand's  corps,  of 
four  full  divisions,  under  Hovey,  Osterhaus,  A.  J. 
Smith  and  Carr,  stretched  away  to  the  south,  and  with 
Lauman's  division  of  the  i6th  corps,  afterwards  added, 
and  Porter's  mortar  fleet  on  the  river,  completed  the  in 
vestment.  Ours  was  the  highest  and  roughest  ground 
upon  the  whole  line,  affording  us  great  facilities  for  ob 
servation,  right  and  left.  It  also  led  to  the  concentration 
of  artillery  near  us,  giving  us,  if  it  were  possible,  the 
Babel  of  the  siege. 

As  yet  we  had  nothing  to  protect  us.  Little  fires 
were  kindled  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  to  boil  our  coffee, 
but  our  sleep  was  without  shelter,  and  with  many 
without  blankets,  while  the  showers  found  us  waiting 
(as  the  ground  waits)  for  our  accustomed  drenching. 
Samuel  S.  Allender,  of  Company  C,  had  his  left  arm 
shattered  while  near  the  Shirley  house  for  water,  losing 
about  five  inches  of  the  bone  below  the  shoulder.  One 
man  of  Company  E  was  also  struck  in  the  neck,  while 
skirmishing.  We  lay  on  our  arms,  watched  the  mortar 
shells  from  Porter's  fleet  beginning  to  fall  at  three 
o'clock  each  morning,  and  occasionally  during  the  day, 
as  something  unusual  seemed  to  be  going  on  among  the 
rebels.  So  passed  two  days  and  nights. 

The  morning  of  the  22d  everything  was  astir.  Lad 
ders  were  being  carried  by,  and  our  Generals  were  in 
earnest  consultation.  At  nine  o'clock  our  regiment  was 
called  into  line,  the  officers  "  to  the  front  and  centre," 
to  be  told  by  Col.  Howe,  that  a  charge  was  to  be  made 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  107 

upon  the  enemy's  works  at  ten  o'clock  precisely  ;  that 
we  were  to  move  with  fixed  bayonets,  without  firing  a 
gun,  in  column  of  regiments,  our  regiment  in  the  rear 
of  the  brigade.  Meantime  we  had  moved  forward,  over 
one  hill  to  a  second,  to  the  right  of  a  house  on  the  Jack 
son  road.  The  little  remaining  time  till  ten  we  spent  in 
giving  directions  to  comrades,  in  case  of  disaster,  and 
awaited  the  issue  with  what  composure  we  might.  The 
cannonade  became  furious  along  the  whole  line,  and  for 
half  an  hour  the  thunder  was  terrific. 

Soon  our  brigade  moved.  Past  us  on  our  left  went 
the  gallant  2Oth  and  45th,  and  so  the  rest  to  their  sta 
tions.  We  exchanged  hurried  words  with  some  of  them 
as  they  moved  by.  We  advanced  near  the  crest  of  the 
ridge,  among  some  beautiful  peach  and  pear  trees, 
heavily  laden  with  half  grown  fruit,  where  we  had  a 
commanding  view  of  Ransom's  and  Blair's  forces  to  our 
right,  with  the  opposing  rebel  lines,  and  of  nearly  two 
miles  to  our  left.  Here  we  were  halted,  and  awaited 
orders.  Company  A  was  detached  for  sharp-shooting, 
and  moved  to  a  sheltered  position  out  of  sight  on  our 
right,  to  join  us  no  more  till  after  the  surrender.  Com 
pany  B,  Capt.  Mann,  was  detailed  for  skirmish  duty, 
and  moved  to  the  front.  Soon  the  battle  became  furi 
ous  everywhere,  and  we  could  see  the  wreaths  of  blue 
smoke  curling  over  the  rebel  earthworks  as  their  rifles 
cracked,  right  and  left,  directly  under  our  exploding 
shells,  as  though  they  were  not  harming  them  in  the 
least.  Our  men  advanced,  under  Blair  and  Ransom, 


108  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 

on  the  double-quick,  in  full  view  of  our  position.  m  Some 
reeled  and  fell,  •  others  pressing  on,  gained  the  works 
and  planted  their  flags  upon  them,  but  they  could  not 
enter,  and  after  a  fierce  struggle  for  a  few  moments  they 
sank  down  on  the  outside  under  the  friendly  cover.  It 
was  of  no  use,  they  were  too  few,  and  the  enemy's  fire 
was  too  galling,  concentrated  as  so  much  of  it  was  on 
single  points  reached  by  our  enfeebled  columns.  The 
wounded  crawled  under  the  shelter  of  logs  where  they 
could.  The  dead  lay  there  in  sight.  The  flags  still 
waved,  for  the  rebels  dared  not  expose  themselves  to 
cut  them  down.  We  could  watch  it  all.  How  was  it 
going  with  our  boys,  we  wondered.  Them  we  could 
not  see,  and  no  tidings  reached  us.  So  the  hours  wore 
away.  At  two  o'clock  there  was  a  fearful  struggle  on  our 
right  again.  Clear  up  to  the  works  our  boys  surged 
only  to  be  mowed  down  by  scores.  They  fired  up  the 
works,  and  tried  to  fire  over,  but  it  wasin  vain.  Then 
a  little  shower  of  rain  was  followed  by  another  effort, 
but  they  failed.  How  we  suffered  as  we  watched  them 
fall.  Later  the  battle  raged  more  fearfully  on  our  left. 
McClernand  thought  he  had  effected  a  lodgment.  Re 
inforcements  were  sent  him,  and  the  strife  was  terrible. 
We  could  see  and  hear  it  all.  But  night  closed  in  upon 
us,  and  we  were  outside  of  Vicksburg  still.  Companies 
E,  H,  I  and  K  were  ordered  on  picket,  as  it  grew  dark, 
and  stationed  within  a  few  yards  of  the  rebel  earthworks, 
where  we  could  hear  them  talking  quite  plainly.  And 
so  this  memorable  day  was  ended. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  101) 

But  before  we  slept  we  learned  that  the  brave  Maj. 
Cowan,  of  the  45th,  Col.  Ne/ins,  of  the  nth,  and  Col. 
Dollins,  of  the  Sist,  had  been  killed,  and  Capt.  Bedford, 
our  brigade  Adjutant,  was  seriously  wounded.  We  had 
not  lost  a  man,  or  scarcely  been  under  fire,  save  com 
pany  B.  Such  are  the  fortunes  of  war.  The  rest  of 
our  brigade  moved  back  of  us,  except  the  45th,  which 
took  a  position  slightly  in  the  rear  of  our  left,  and  where 
the  night  of  the  22d  found  us,  we  remained  during  the 
the  siege.  It  was  really  the  most  advanced  position  on 
the  whole  line  of  investment,  as  far  as  we  knew.  And 
that  night  ended  our  unprotected  picketing.  It  was  too 
dangerous,  and  we  were  fired  upon  sharply  in  the  early 
morning,  ere  we  withdrew. 

Our  position  was  now  in  Shirley's  peach  orchard,  with 
our  left  resting  on  his  house — the  "white  house,"  as  we 
called  it.  Mr.  Shirley  was  at  home,  and  claimed  to  be 
a  Union  man.  The  45th  used  part  of  the  house  for 
headquarters.  Only  the  side  to  the  rear  could  be  safely 
occupied,  and  the  whole  house  was  fearfully  scarred  by 
bullets.  The  hill  which  sheltered  us  was  in  the  form  of 
a  half  horse  shoe,  open  on  our  right,  quartering  toward 
the  rebel  lines  in  front  of  Ransom  and  Blair,  and  leav 
ing  us  badly  exposed,  but  for  the  distance.  On  our  left 
the  crest  curved  to  the  rear  by  Shirley's  house,  and  on 
it  the  Jackson  road  came  for  a  few  rods,  to  continue 
therefrom  a  little  to  the  left,  toward  the  rebel  lines  and 
the  city.  Four  brass  pieces  went  into  position  just 
under  the  crest  of  the  hill  in  front  of  us.  Here  we  dug 


110  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 

into  the  side  hill,  made  terraces  to  "fall  in"  on,  and  pre 
pared  to  stay,  to  "guard  the  rebels,"  as  it  was  termed. 
Without  a  tent,  we  put  our  rubber  blankets  on  sticks, 
or  built  "chebangs"  of  whatever  we  could  lay  our  hands 
on,  and  made  ourselves  comfortable  as  possible,  settling 
down  to  the  rigors  of  a  siege. 

Rifle  pits  were  immediately  dug  in  every  available 
direction,  timbers  were  placed  on  the  dirt  crests  in  front 
of  them,  with  notches  or  gains  for  firing  through,  and 
these  were  kept  hot  day  and  night.  Our  picketing  was 
this  continual  sharpshooting.  Heavy  siege  guns  were 
brought  up  from  Yazoo,  and  mounted  wherever  the 
ground  was  favorable,  about  fifty  pieces,  large  and  small, 
being  near  us.  A  protected  way  was  dug  from  our  rear, 
passing  just  to  our  left,  through  Shirley's  door  yard, 
wide  enough  to  drive  artillery  through,  with  occasional 
spaces  to  turn  around  in.  This  was  a  heavy  job,  and 
our  details  for  fatigue  were  very  irksome.  This  covered 
way  ultimately  reached  "Fort  Hill,"  as  it  was  called, 
the  key  to  the  rebel  centre. 

The  firing  from  the  mortar  fleet,  beyond  the  long 
point  west  of  the  city,  \vas  continuous,  and  at  night  we 
could  easily  watch  the  shells,  tracing  their  flight  by  the 
burning  fuses.  Frequently  they  would  explode  in  the 
air  over  the  doomed  city,  with  a  very  loud  report,  but 
others  again  could  be  heard  to  strike  before  exploding, 
though  it  was  full  three  miles  away,  to  be  followed  soon 
after  by  a  stifled  roar.  Our  cannonading  was  often  ter 
rific.  For  an  hour  or  more,  as  fast  as  the  guns  could  be 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  Ill 

worked,  they  would  pour  it  into  them,  sometimes  a 
hundred  at  one  report,  seemingly.  Columbiads,  Dahl- 
grens,  Parrotts,  Howitzers  and  James  rifled,  all  mixed 
together,  a  real  artillery  concert.  "Giving  them  their 
coffee,"  this  was  called.  Occasionally  they  would  an 
swer  back  with  a  Whitworth  projectile,  or  a  small  mor 
tar  shell,  but  their  firing  was  unfrequent.  Their  light 
artillery  had  nearly  all  been  lost  east  of  the  Big  Black. 

Being  under  the  range  of  our  own  guns,  some  fearful 
accidents  occurred  from  defective  ammunition.  On  the 
24th  of  May  two  men  of  the  3Oth  Illinois  were  dread 
fully  mangled  by  the  premature  explosion  of  a  shell. 
One  had  his  right  leg  and  arm  torn  into  shreds.  The 
other  both  legs.  Death  soon  relieved  them  from  their 
agony. 

May  25th  a  ripple  was  raised  by  a  flag  of  truce  on  the 
enemy's  lines.  We  hoped  it  meant  surrender,  but  it 
only  asked  for  the  burial  of  the  dead  of  the  22d,  both 
theirs  and  ours.  There  had  been  no  opportunity  for 
close  search,  and  the  stench  forced  them  to  this  step. 
The  dead  were  nearer  them  than  us.  From  three  to 
eight  P.  M.  we  had  a  respite,  during  which  we  looked 
each  other  in  the  face,  talked  a  little,  and  then  settled 
down  to  our  work  of  death  again. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  Capt.  Rogers,  of  McAllister's 
battery,  near  us,  was  killed  by  a  rebel  bullet,  during  the 
cannonading.  The  brave  Capt.  DeGolyer,  who  skirm 
ished  with  his  battery  early  in  the  siege,  was  mortally 


112  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

wounded  while  lying  in  his  tent  in  the  rear,  about  this 
time. 

An  extract  from  my  diary  of  Sunday,  Moy  3ist,  will 
give  an  idea  of  what  it  was  to  us  '  Opened  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  the  most  terrific  cannonade 
on  our  part  I  ever  heard.  Up  and  in  line.  The  night 
was  perfectly  hideous.  A  hundred  guns  at  once,  and 
half  as  many  exploding  shells  answering  back,  with 
streams  of  fire  and  dense  smoke.  Like  Pandemonium, 
for  nearly  an  hour  the  deafening  roar  was  kept  up,  and 
the  enemy  must  have  been  severely  punished." 

On  the  ist  of  June,  two  ten-pound  Parrotts  were 
planted  near  our  heads  to  help  steady  the  nerves  when 
drinking  our  coffee.  The  same  day  one  of  the  24-pound 
Howitzers  recoiled  over  the  bank,  and  made  a  breech 
charge  on  Company  H,  tearing  down  among  the  ''che- 
bangs"  for  some  distance,  and  finally  bringing  up  against 
a  small  tree.  Fortunately  no  one  was  hurt. 

On  the  2d  of  June,  Adam  Pulling,  of  Company  F, 
was  killed  while  sharp-shooting. 

On  the  4th,  Gen.  John  E.  Smith  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  what  had  been  Quimby's  division,  recently 
commanded  by  Gen.  Crocker,  and  Gen.  M.  D.  Leggott, 
of  the  /8th  Ohio,  took  command  of  our  brigade,  which 
he  retained  until  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  divis 
ion,  being  over  us  in  all,  nearly  a  year,  during  which  he 
greatly  endeared  himself  to  both  officers  and  men. 

On  the  8th  of  June  Oscar  T.  Cooley,  of  company  B, 
was  killed  by  a  chance  shot,  while  lying  in  his  bunk. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  113 

On  the  I4th  Nelson  Phillips,  of  company  C,  whose 
bravery  was  conspicuous  at  Champion  Hills,  was  struck 
in  the  face  by  part  of  a  bullet,  which  had  struck  a  ring 
on  his  gunstock,  while  sharp-shooting,  of  which  wound, 
erysipelas  having  set  in,  he  died  in  two  weeks. 

On  the  i /th  a  wall  tent  for  each  company  and  one  for 
regimental  headquarters  came  up,  and  were  set  into  the 
side  hill  by  terracing.  But  they  were  in  full  view  of  the 
rebels  on  our  right. 

On  the  1 8th  Col.  Sloan  was  released  from  arrest,  by 
the  expiration  of  the  time  for  which  he  could  be  held, 
without  a  trial,  and  resumed  command. 

And  so  the  siege  dragged  its  weary  length  along. 
Heavy  details  were  always  in  the  rifle  pits,  and  equally 
heavy  ones  always  on  fatigue.  Our  covered  way  reached 
clear  to  the  enemy's  works,  and  then  we  mined  under 
them.  Every  day  brought  us  something  new,  some  in 
cident,  sensation  or  rumor,  to  relieve  the  tedium.  One 
day  it  would  be  Johnston,  and  troops  to  the  rear  ;  an 
other,  Capt.  Hickenlooper  and  his  wooden  mortar;  then 
Foster,  or  "Coonskin,"  and  his  observatory,  or  Gen. 
Parks  and  his  ninth  corps  above  us.  Gen.  McClernand 
was  relieved  of  his  command,  and  ''white  hat,"  or  a 
rebel  Gen.  Green,  of  Missouri,  was  killed  in  front  of 
our  regiment,  for  variety. 

On  the  2Oth  the  enemy  stirred  us  up  considerably, 
and  materially  lessened  the  chances  of  our  stagnation, 
if  any  existed,  by  firing  several  2O-pound  Parrott  shells 
among  us,  from  in  front  of  Blair.  One  shot  away  a  corner 


114  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 


stake  of  company  I's  tent,  after  exploring  a  mess-chest 
for  company  D,  and  went  dashing  among  the  "che- 
bangs"  of  C  and  H,  without  doing  any  farther  damage. 
A  second  cut  the  ridge-pole  of  the  same  tent  in  two,  a 
third  cut  off  the  hand  of  a  colored  cook,  and  a  fourth 
buried  itself,  and  ricocheted  to  kill  two  men  in  a  Minne 
sota  regiment,  more  than  two  miles  away.  We  saw  it 
as  it  left  us,  and  sped  away  on  its  errand  of  death. 
Still  others  struck  nearer  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  some 
of  the  boys  had  their  fires  kindled,  and  did  their  cook 
ing,  of  one  of  which  Maj.  ann,  then  Captain  of  com 
pany  B,  relates  an  amusing  incident.  Company  E's 
boys  had  built  quite  a  pretentious  oven,  the  results  of 
which  they  enjoyed  hugely,  but  from  which  the  smoke 
was  frequently  drawn  up  the  hill  into  the  quarters  of 
company  B,  greatly  to  the  disgust  of  those  whose  eyes 
had  to  suffer.  While  the  shells  were  falling  quite  thickly, 
the  smoke  was  also  on  duty,  and  Lieut.  Stafford,  of 
company  B,  stepping  out  from  their  headquarters,  rub 
bing  his  eyes,  said  he  hoped  the  next  shell  would  smash 
company  E's  oven.  He  had  but  little  more  than  uttered 
the  words  before  one  came  booming  to  its  mark,  and 
' 'knocked  it  all  to  smithereens,"  as  the  Major  said  when 
telling  the  story.  But  this  gun  could  fire  but  two  or 
three  shots  at  a  time  before  a  whole  pack  of  artillery  would 
be  trained  upon  it,  and  its  firing  would  cease.  In  the 
course  of  a  day  or  two  it  was  completely  silenced,  hav 
ing  been  partially  dismounted,  as  we  found  after  the  sur 
render.  It  had  also  been  previously  struck  several 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  115 

times,  proving  the  accuracy  of  our  aim,  though  sustain 
ing  but  little  damage.  The  enemy  had  constructed  a 
most  ingenious  dirt  casemate  for  it ;  and,  considering  the 
many  times  it  was  discharged  at  us  within  such  easy 
range,  it  was  really  strange  that  no  more  damage  was 
done  to  us. 

On  the  23d  of  June  Maj.  Chase  gave  us  his  compli 
ments  in  two  months'  pay. 

On  the  25th  of  June  Lieut.  Julius  A.  Pratt,  of  com 
pany  A,  was  instantly  killed  by  a  stray  bullet.  He  had 
been  suffering  with  sickness  for  a  few  days,  and  was  off 
duty,  sitting  in  his  tent,  in  what  was  supposed  to  be  as 
safe  a  place  as  any  on  the  lines.  His  elbows  were  re 
clining  on  his  knees,  with  his  face  forward  resting  on  his 
hands.  The  ball  had  probably  glanced  from  the  limb 
of  a  tree  on  the  crest  of  the  hill  above  the  tent,  and 
ranging  downward,  entered  at  the  back  of  his  neck, 
coming  out  under  one  of  his  eyes.  Lieut  Pratt  was 
the  only  officer  we  had  killed.  He  was  capable,  faith 
ful,  brave  and  popular,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was 
in  command  of  his  company,  Capt.  Tenney  being  ab 
sent  sick.  Lieut.  Norman  H.  Pratt,  his  brother,  then 
in  command  of  company  F,  after  innumerable  rebuffs 
and  delays,  succeeded  in  procuring  a  leave  of  absence 
and  a  casket,  and  took  his  remains  north,  to  his  home 
in  Kewanee,  Illinois,  where  they  now  repose. 

Also  on  the  25th  Fort  Hill,  as  we  called  it,  was  blown 
up.  Twelve  hundred  pounds  of  powder  had  been  safely 
placed  under  it,  divided  in  four  places,  and  great  expect- 


116  HISTORY  OF  THE  124-1-11 

ations  were  entertained  of  success.  Our  forces  were  all 
in  line  and  awaiting  the  result,  hoping  to  walk  into 
Vicksburg.  The  gallant  45th  was  in  the  van.  The  ex 
plosion  took  place  about  four  o'clock,  but  instead  of 
effecting  a  breach  in  the  fort,  it  only  changed  its  face  to 
us.  The  45th  rushed  forward  with  great  spirit,  to  be 
met  by  a  most  deadly  fire,  which  they  heroically  re 
turned.  It  appeared  that  the  falling  earth  had  formed  a 
new  line  of  defence  for  the  rebels,  leaving  a  sort  of  cul- 
dc  sac  to  the  rear,  into  which  our  brave  boys  poured, 
only  to  be  mercilessly  slaughtered.  Maj.  Fiske  was  in 
stantly  killed,  Lieut.  Col.  Smith  was  mortally,  and  Col. 
Maltby  severely  wounded,  while  the  loss  in  a  few  min 
utes  was  59  men.  The  3ist  relieved  them  after  a  little, 
and  kept  up  the  firing  till  dark,  losing  30  men,  among 
whom  was  their  Lieut.  Col.  mortally  wounded.  Other 
regiments  in  turn  relieved  them,  and  held  the  fort  dur 
ing  the  night. 

We  lay  on  our  arms,  and  in  the  morning  of  the  26th 
Companies  H  and  I  were  ordered  into  the  breach.  The 
enemy  threw  hand  grenades  with  rapidity  and  deadly 
effect.  Our  men  loaded  under  cover  of  the  dirt,  and 
reaching  up,  fired  over.  This  was  done  for  thirty  min 
utes,  when  two  other  companies  relieved  them,  and 
such  was  the  order  of  the  day.  As  the  reliefs  returned 
to  the  "Slaughter  Pen,"  as  it  soon  came  to  be  called, 
it  was  like  moving  into  a  deadly  battle  in  cold  blood. 
At  last  the  night  came  on,  and  the  3d  brigade  relieved 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  117 


us.      The  fearful  day,  the  most  trying  and  horrid  in  our 
history,  was  past. 

And  we  had  lost  forty-nine  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 
Of  these  Corporal  Vance,  of  Company  C,  was  torn 
almost  to  pieces  by  a  hand  grenade  that  exploded  in 
his  lap,  followed  by  another  at  his  left  side  as  he  lay  on 
the  ground.  George  Grabendike  and  George  W.  Lan- 
ham,  of  the  same  Company,  were  fearfully  mangled  by 
another  hand  grenade,  and  died  the  next  day.  John  J. 
Smith,  of  Company  E,  shared  the  same  fate,  living  only 
long  enough  to  be  carried  to  the  hospital.  Jacob  Raper, 
of  Company  D,  and  Presley  Peek,  of  Company  K, 
were  mortally  wounded,  and  Lieut.  Potter,  of  Company 
H,  and  Corporal  M.  W.  Morgan,  of  Company  K, 
severely.  But  little  if  any  advantage  was  gained  by  all 
this,  and  on  the  2/th  the  breach  was  as  effectually  held 
by  our  guns  and  sharp-shooters,  though  at  some  dis 
tance  away,  as  it  had  been  at  such  fearful  cost. 

Many  incidents  of  this  terrible  day  ought  to  find  a 
place  in  this  history,  and  would  if  they  could  be  rescued 
from  oblivion.  Our  loss,  while  it  does  not  show  heavily 
on  paper,  was  very  large  for  the  numbers  engaged. 
Forty-nine  men  from  eight  companies,  already  worn  to 
exceeding  thinness  by  the  vigors  of  the  siege,  and  with 
no  field  officers  engaged,  is  a  large  per  cent.  An  idea 
of  the  proportion  may  be  gained  by  the  statement  that  at 
one  time,  after  a  sharp  succession  of  hand  grenades  from 
the  enemy,  only  six  men  were  left  in  the  breach,  two  of 
Company  H,  with  Lieut.  Spear,  and  two  of  Company  C, 


118  HISTORY  OF  THE   124x11 

with  Capt.  Field,  all  the  rest  having  been  killed,  wounded, 
or,  for  the  time,  left  the  Fort.  The  Captain,  himself, 
during  this  time,  was  struck  on  the  left  hip  by  a  piece 
of  shell,  causing  a  severe  bruise,  though  not  penetrating 
the  clothing. 

General  Logan  personally  complimented  the  brave 
men  who  so  gallantly  stood  at  their  post  through  such 
an  hour  of  slaughter. 

During  the  same  afternoon  L.  Hegans,  of  Company  C, 
was  so  stunned  by  the  near  bursting  of  a  shell,  that 
blood  started  from  his  ears,  and  he  was  partially  deaf 
ened  for  months.  Serg't.  C.  M.  Cassatt,  of  the  same 
Company,  and  others,  were  also  severely  stunned  from 
the  same  cause,  some  being  insensible  for  a  time. 

Everything  had  been  unusually  active  since  the  26th, 
and  on  July  1st  the  Fort  was  blown  up  again.  Quite  as 
much  damage  was  done  as  before,  and  with  no  loss  to 
us.  Six  persons  were  blown  into  our  lines,  three  of 
whom  were  colored,  and  one  of  them,  named  "Abe," 
survived  his  transit.  Theodore  R.  Davis,  of  Harper's 
Weekly,  sketched  him  on  the  spot,  all  dirt  and  tatters 
as  he  was.  He  said  he  went  up  two  miles,  saw  stars, 
met  his  master — who  was  one  of  the  white  men  killed — 
coming  down,  etc. ,  a  part  of  which — seeing  stars — was 
doubtless  true.  He  was  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and 
seemed  to  enjoy  it  vastly.  The  rebels  were  seen  dig 
ging  very  actively  immediately  after  the  explosion,  which 
indicated  severe  punishment. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  119 

On  the  2d  of  July  firing  was  very  brisk  on  both  sides, 
the  enemy  discharging  volleys  on  our  left.  Our  can: 
nonnading  was  especially  furious,  and  we  treated  them 
very  plentifully  to  the  twelve-pound  shells  from  a  wooden 
mortar,  in  return  for  their  hand  grenades  of  the  26th. 
An  ounce  and  a  half  of  powder  would  toss  them  over 
very  prettily,  and  land  them  where  we  chose.  John  P. 
Mathevvs,  of  Company  F,  was  mortally  wounded  by  a 
loose  bullet  from  one  of  our  shells  which  burst  prema 
turely.  It  struck  him  in  the  hip,  and  he  died  the  I  ith 
of  July.  He  was  but  a  boy  in  years,  though  a  veteran 
in  service,  and  always  ready,  willing  and  cheerful. 

But  the  end  drew  near.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  July  3d,  a  white  flag  was  noticed  away  to  our 
left  on  the  rebel  works.  Soon  another  appeared,  and 
another.,  and,  directly,  one  in  front  of  us.  The  firing 
ceased,  and  all  was  still,  the  first  time  since  May  25th, 
thirty-nine  days.  Soon  greybacks  began  to  show  them 
selves  all  along  the  lines.  Heads  first,  cautiously,  then 
bodies,  and  we  straightened  up  too,  in  many  places  only 
a  few  yards  from  them.  The  works  were  mounted  and 
we  looked  each  other  in  the  face,  the  line  of  motley  and 
the  line  of  blue.  How  eager  we  all  were  to  see,  and 
what  did  it  all  mean  ?  Was  it  to  bury  the  dead  again— 
their  dead — or  the  prelude  to  a  surrender  ?  And  so  the 
forenoon  wore  away.  About  half-past  one  a  scare 
occurred.  "We  all  dropped,  and  a  few  shots  were  fired, 
but  "cease  firing"  rang  out  everywhere,  and  no  one 


120  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

was  specially  anxious  to  disobey ;  we  had  all  had  about 
enough  of  that. 

A  few  minutes  later,  and  a  stir  near  the  white  house 
on  our  left  indicated  something  unusual,  and  all  eyes 
were  turned  in  that  direction.  Soon  our  quiet  Captain, 
the  determined,  self-possessed,  heroic  Grant,  came  rid 
ing  down  our  covered  way,  with  McPherson,  Logan, 
Ord,  A.  J.  Smith  and  other  officers,  and  half  a  score  of 
orderlies,  and  paased  on  toward  the  rebel  works.  As 
they  left  the  trench  and  emerged  into  open  view,  three 
horsemen,  followed  by  orderlies,  came  out  from  the 
rebel  lines  and  advanced  to  meet  them.  These  were, 
Pemberton,  Bowen  and  Col.  Montgomery,  Pemberton's 
chief-of-staff.  All  dismounted  as  they  met,  a  general 
hand  shaking  followed,  and  then  Grant,  McPherson  and 
A.  J.  Smith  were  seated  with  the  rebel  three,  under  a 
large,  narrow-leaved  oak,  in  peaceful  conference.  This 
augured  favorably,  but  still  the  mortar  fleet  kept  thun 
dering  away.  At  four  o'clock  the  conference  had  ended, 
and  our  men  were  all  ordered  down.  The  rebels,  too, 
had  disappeared,  but  there  was  no  firing. 

As  night  drew  on  the  silence  began  to  be  fearfully 
oppressive.  For  so  many  long  days  and  nights  it  had 
been  a  continuous  battle.  Not  a  minute  but  the  crack 
of  the  rifle  or  the  boom  of  the  cannon  had  been  in  our 
ears.  And  much  of  the  time  it  had  been  deafening. 
Now  it  was  still,  absolutely  still.  The  tremendous  ten 
sion  was  over.  We  had  not  felt  it  so  overwhelmingly 
earlier  in  the  day  when  ve  could  look  and  see,  but  now 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  121 

it  began  to  pain  us.  It  was  leaden.  We  could  not 
bear  it ;  it  settled  down  so  close  ;  it  hugged  us  with  its 
hollow,  unseen  arms,  till  we  could  scarcely  breathe. 
Only  those  whose  experience  has  been  similar,  can  ima 
gine  the  weight  we  carried  through  that  otherwise  happy 
night.  Few  of  us  slept  much,  and  none  well. 

The  morning  of  Saturday,  the  4th  of  July,  dawned 
gloriously.  It  was  our  nation's  birthday,  and  we  felt  it. 
We  sympathized  with  it  as  never  before.  The  oppres 
sion  of  the  day  and  night  had  given  place  to  light  feel 
ing.  We  seemed  to  tread  on  air.  We  put  our  feet 
down  in  a  sort  of  uncertain  way,  and  it  was  so  strange 
to  stan.d  up  straight  whenever  we  chose.  But  as  yet  we 
had  no  news.  No  orders. 

A  little  later  and  report  said  the  city  was  to  be  sur 
rendered  at  ten  o'clock.  Then  rumor  said  Grant's  stern 
terms  had  been  rejected.  Soon  we  were  ordered  to 
black  our  boots,  which  was  done  with  a  will.  All  the 
finery  we  had,  whether  paper  collars  or  white  gloves, 
was  in  speedy  requisition.  And,  thanks  to  our  efficient 
Quartermaster,  despite  the  rigors  of  the  siege,  we  were 
far  from  being  a  shabby  lot.  What  the  battle  and  sick 
ness  had  left  of  us  looked  well. 

Just  before  10  o'clock,  "Fall  in"  was  the  word,  and  in 
a  moment  we  were  in  our  places,  shoulder  to  shoulder, 
as  we  had  often  been,  but  never  with  such  a  feeling, 
never  so  proud  of  each  other  before. 

A  moment  later  our  brigade  band,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  service,  startled  the  leaden  air  and  us  together, 


122  HISTORY  OF  THE 


by  bursting  out  with  "Hail  Columbia,"  hidden  from  us 
in  the  white  house  on  our  left.  We  had  not  thought  of 
music  ;  it  had  been  so  long  since  we  had  heard  any,  that 
its  place  had  dropped  out,  or  been  filled  with  shot  and 
shell.  Since  Utica  Cross  Roads,  May  loth,  but  few  of 
us  had  heard  a  note,  save  a  bugle  call  one  evening  in  the 
direction  of  Pleasant  Dale,  some  miles  away.  And  now, 
as  these  strains  welled  out  so  exultingly,  and  the  chords 
of  our  hearts  were  swept,  we  went  down  before  them, 
and  strong  men  wept  like  babes.  This  was  followed  by 
"The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  during  the  playing  of 
which  we  received  a  mail.  While  the  Johnnies  marched 
out  in  front  of  us,  and  at  many  other  places  along  the 
line,  stacked  arms,  and  marched  back  again.  '  'See 
the  rebs,"  we  cried,  under  our  breath,  lest  we  should 
lose  a  note  of  the  music,  then  "Forward,  march,"  rang 
out,  and  the  gallant  1st  brigade,  Gen.  M.  D.  Leggett, 
commanding,  of  Logan's  fighting,  3d  division,  took  up 
its  line  of  march  into  Vicksburg. 

Past  the  rebel  gun  stacks,  over  the  works,  with  our 
field  bands  playing,  through  among  the  gazing  Johnnies, 
right  down  the  Jackson  road  we  went,  the  45th  leading. 
Not  a  dog  barked  at  us,  not  a  cat  shied  round  a  corner. 
Poor  things,  they  had  all  been  eaten  in  the  straitness  of 
the  siege. 

The  roads  were  dusty  and  the  day  was  hot,  but  this 
was  our  celebration,  and  our  steps  did  not  falter.  On 
\ve  went  through  the  scorching  road  cuts,  sweltering. 
It  was  farther  than  we  thought.  When  should  we  reach 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  123 

the  retreating  city  ?  But  at  last  the  houses  grew  thicker, 
the  hospital  was  passed,  and  cheer  upon  cheer  was 
heard.  ''Ah  !  that  is  the  court  house,  and,  see,  the 
stars  and  stripes  are  floating  from  the  cupola  where  the 
45th  have  placed  them.  Now  boys,  hip,  hip,  hurrah." 
And  we  shouted  lustily.  Our  wild  huzzas  rent  the 
air.  We  shall  never,  we  can  never  shout  so  again.  The 
long  beleagured,  stoutly  defended,  and  sadly  punished 
city  was  ours  at  last,  and  it  has  ever  since  seemed  to  us, 
who  shared  in  the  glories  of  that  day,  that  we  had  two 
Fourths  to  celebrate.  One  for  our  national  birth,  and 
one  for  Vicksburg. 


124  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


CHAPTER  X. 


Logan  commanding  Post,  and  the  45th  Provost  guard.— Our  friends 
at  home. — On  picket  at  night. — The  cause  of  the  war. — General 
Orders,  No.  20. — Inside  the  lines,  and  in  camp  once  more. — What 
we  saw  in  Vicksburg. — Caves. — Starvation. — Testimony  of  the 
Daily  Citizen. — Famine  plaster. — Graves. — But  Vicksburg  had  not 
suffered,  O,  no! — Dress  parade. — Paroled  prisoners. — Pemberton 
oak.  —Sickness. — Major  Pattison. — Resignations  and  promotions. 


MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  A.  LOGAN  was  given 
command  of  the   Post  of  Vicksburg,    the  gallant 
45th  Illinois,  of  our  brigade,   was  assigned  to  Provost 
duty,  with  headquarters  in  the  court  house,  and  so  the 
military  occupation  was  complete. 

Our  first  thought  after  the  surrender  was  of  the  loved 
ones  at  home.  ' '  To  them  the  release  from  the  fearful 
tension  has  not  yet  come, "  we  said;  "  they  share  not 
our  joy-  to-day  ;  they  think  of  us  and  pray  for  us  as  still 
in  the  battle  ;  O,  that  they  could  know  how  it  is  with 
us,"  breathed  many  a  loving  heart,  and  we  never  sighed 
for  telegraphic  communication  with  our  homes  at  any 
other  time  in  the  service  as  we  did  that  day.  But  we 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  125 

found  some  solace  in  the  voluminous  letters  and  ample 
details  of  our  victory  and  joy,  which  we  penned  for  the 
dear  ones'  future  perusal. 

We  soon  returned  to  our  old  quarters  outside  the 
lines,  and  heavy  details  were  made  upon  us  for  guard 
duty,  every  foot  of  the  long  line  of  rebel  works  being 
picketed,  and  by  nightfall  of  that  memorable  day  the 
scene  had  changed  from  one  of  two  opposing  forces  con 
fronting  each  other,  to  that  of  an  immense  corral  of  the 
disarmed  butternut  and  grey,  vigilantly  guarded  by  the 
victorious  blue.  Our  portion  of  the  lines  extended  from 
the  right  of  our  position,  by  Ransom's,  to  the  corner 
fort  in  front  of  Blair,  making  nearly  three-fourths  of  a 
mile,  all  of  which  was  thronged  with  hungry,  eagerly 
questioning  Johnnies.  They  had  heard  nothing  reliable 
from  the  outside  world  for  weeks,  and,  scanty  as  their 
rations  had  become,  consisting  of  little  beside  mule  beef 
and  stock  peas,  they  were  in  many  instances  quite  as 
hungry  for  intelligence  as  for  food,  and  made  as  vigorous 
demands  upon  our  newspapers  and  talking  powers  as 
upon  our  haversacks. 

Some  of  the  mistaken  statements  about  the  war,  vol 
unteered  by  the  prisoners  that  night,  would  have  been 
vastly  amusing  to  us,  had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  they 
made  us  conscious  of,  that  we  had  an  ignorance  to  con 
tend  against  which  was  scarcely  less  powerful  and  dan 
gerous  than  the  Confederacy  in  arms.  One  of  the  state 
ments  was  made  by  a  consequential  Colonel,  who  had 
come  in  to  extinguish  the  Yankee  officer,  who  had 


126  HISTORY  OF  THE  IZ 


proved  to  be  a  little  too  well  informed  for  his  more  hum 
ble  opponent,  and  was  in  these  words  :  '  '  Sir,  you  are 
responsible  for  this  war  and  all  its  horrors  ;  you  have 
brought  it  upon  us  ;  not  a  blow  would  ever  have  been 
struck,  sir,  not  a  gun  fired,  sir,  but  for  Abraham  Lin 
coln's  emancipation  proclamation."  Any  reply  to  such 
a  statement  was  absolutely  out  of  the  question. 

The  next  day  the  following  was  issued,  which  ex 
plains  itself.  Of  course  we  appropriated  our  share  : 

HEADQUARTERS  I/TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  TENNESSEE, 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  4,  1863. 

[General  Orders  No.  20.] 
Soldiers  of  the  \  'jth  Army  Corps  : 

Again  I  rejoice  with  you  over  your  brilliant  achieve 
ments,  and  your  unparallelled  success. 

Hardly  had  your  flag  floated  to  the  breeze  on  the 
capitol  of  Mississippi,  when  springing  to  the  call  of  our 
NOBLE  COMMANDER,  you  rushed  upon  the  defiant  columns 
of  the  enemy  at  Champion  Hills  and  drove  him  in  con 
fusion  and  dismay  across  the  Big  Black,  to  his  defences 
within  the  stronghold  of  Vicksburg. 

Your  assaulting  columns,  which  moved  promptly  upon 
his  works  on  the  22d  of  May,  and  which  stood  for  hours 
undaunted,  under  a  withering  fire,  were  unsuccessful 
only  because  no  men  could  take  the  position  by  storm. 

With  tireless  energy,  with  sleepless  vigilance,  by  night 
and  by  day,  with  battery  and  with  rifle  pit,  with  trench 
and  mine,  you  made  your  sure  approaches,  until  over- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  127 

come  by  fatigue,  and  driven  to  despair  in  the  attempt  to 
oppose  your  irresistible  progress,  the  whole  garrison  of 
over  thirty  thousand  men  with  all  their  arms  and  muni 
tions  of  war,  have,  on  this  the  anniversary  of  our 
NATIONAL  INDEPENDENCE,  surrendered  to  the  invincible 
troops  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 

The  achievements  of  this  hour  will  give  a  new  mean 
ing  to  this  memorable  day,  and  VICKSBURG  will  brighten 
the  glow  in  the  patriot's  heart,  which  kindles  at  the 
mention  of  BUNKER  HILL  and  YORK/TOWN. 

This  is,  indeed,  an  auspicious  day  for  you.  The  GOD 
OF  BATTLES  is  with  you  ;  the  dawn  of  a  conquered  peace 
is  breaking  upon  you  ;  the  plaudits  of  an  admiring  world 
will  hail  you  wherever  you  may  go,  and  it  will  be  an 
ennobling  heritage  surpassing  all  riches,  to  have  been  of 
the  I;TH  ARMY  CORPS  on  the  4TH  OF  JULY,  1863. 

JAMES  B.  McPHERSON, 
Official :  Major  General. 

WM.  '1.  CLARK, 

Colonel  and  Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

Ere  the  nightfall  of  the  5th  we  had  moved  inside  the 
lines,  to  the  left  of  the  Jackson  road,  and  our  company 
tents  and  equipage  having  come  up — thanks  to  our 
Quartermaster — and  A  and  G  being  in  their  places  once 
more,  we  were  a  regiment  in  camp  again. 

And  now  we  had  a  little  leisure  to  look  at  Vicksbur^, 

o " 

and  inspect  the  prize  we'  had  been  trying  to  draw  so 
long.  We  found  the  place,  which  was  never  very  beau- 


128  HISTORY  OF  THE 


tiful  or  wealthy,  in  a  sorry  plight  from  the  fierceness  and 
long  continuance  of  our  shelling,  both  from  the  mortar 
boats  and  the  rear.  There  was  scarcely  a  building  of 
any  kind  uninjured,  and  many  were  nearly  or  quite 
ruined.  For  the  most  part  the  dwellings  had  been 
deserted  during  the  siege,  and  the  people  had  burrowed 
into  the  clay  hills,  digging  them  full  of  caves,  with  the 
entrances  of  the  size  of  small  hay-cocks,  in  the  steep 
banks  of  the  road  cuts.  Into  these  they  had  carried 
stoves,  beds,  rugs,  etc.  ,  and  had  managed  to  live  in  them 
for  weeks,  comparatively  safe.  Occasionally,  however, 
a  mortar  shell  would  tear  through  the  too  thin  protec 
tion  over  their  heads,  and  explode  in  the  midst  of  some 
wretched  family  with  fearful  effect. 

Of  food  in  the  city  we  found  very  little.  The  fear  of 
starvation  had  really  forced  Pemberton  to  surrender. 

The  last  issue  of  the  Daily  Citizen,  of  July  2d,  was 
found  in  form  upon  the  stone,  and  several  copies,  on 
wall  paper,  lying  in  the  office.  Our  boys  put  in  a  square 
at  the  foot  of  the  last  column,  announcing  our  presence 
in  the  city,  and  struck  off  an  edition  for  Yankee  circula 
tion,  otherwise  just  as  J.  M.  Swords,  the  proprietor, 
left  it.  Two  articles  from  its  columns  we  copy  entire, 
upon  the  food  question  ;  certainly  it  ought  to  be 
authority  : 

"  We  are  indebted  to  Major  Gillespie  for  a  steak  of 
Confederate  beef,  alias  meat.  We  have  tried  it,  and 
can  assure  our  friends  that  if  it  is  rendered  necessary, 
they  need  have  no  scruples  at  eating  the  meat.  It  is 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  129 


sweet,  savory  and  tender,  and  so  long  as  we  have  a  mule 
left  we  are  satisfied  our  soldiers  will  be  content  to  sub 
sist  on  it." 

"  VICTIMIZED. — We  learned  of  an  instance  wherein  a 
'knight  of  the  quill'  and  a  '  deciple  of  the  black  art,' 
with  malice  in  their  hearts  and  vengeance  in  their  eyes, 
ruthlessly  put  a  period  to  the  existence  of  a  venerable 
feline,  that  has  for  time,  not  within  the  memory  of  the 
oldest  inhabitant,  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  to  be 
expected  of  him  to  the  terror  of  sundry  vermin  in  his 
neighborhood.  Poor,  defunct  Thomas  was  then  pre 
pared  not  for  the  grave,  but  the  pot,  and  several  friends 
invited  to  partake  of  a  nice  rabbit.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  no  one  would  wound  the  feelings  of  another, 
especially  in  these  times,  by  refusing  a  cordial  invitation 
to  dinner,  and  the  guests  assisted  in  consuming  the  poor 
animal  with  a  relish  that  did  honor  to  their  epicurean 
tastes.  The  '  sold  '  assure  us  that  the  meat  was  deli 
cious,  and  that  pussy  must  look  out  for  her  safety." 

We  also  give  an  extract  from  another  article  on  the 
same  subject  : 

"A  rumor  has  reached  us  that  parties  in  our  city 
have  been,  and  are  now,  selling  flour  at  five  dollars  per 
pound,  molasses  at  ten  dollars  per  gallon,  and  corn  at 
ten  dollars  per  bushel.  We  have  not  as  yet  proved  the 
fact  upon  the  parties  accused,  but  this  allusion  to  the 
subject  may  induce  some  of  our  citizens  to  ascertain 
whether  such  prices  have  been  paid,  and  to  whom  ;  and 
if  so,  let  a  brand  not  only  be  placed  upon  their  brow, 


130  HISTORY  OF  THE 


but  let  it  be  seared  into  their  very  brain  !  that  humanity 
may  scorn  and  shun  them  as  they  would  the  portals  of 
hell  itself." 

The  appearance  of  the  people  corroborated  the  state 
ments  of  the  paper.  We  did  not  find  a  rugged  looking 
person  in  the  city  ;  the  higher  officers  even  were  hag 
gard  and  wan,  and  our  first  duty  was  to  issue  rations  to 
all,  both  soldiers  and  citizens. 

The  ground  near  the  lines  was  in  a  filthy  condition 
from  the  prevalence  of  diarrhoea  among  the  rebel  sol 
diers,  and  the  impossibility  of  their  digging  or  using  sinks, 
on  account  of  being  so  hard  pressed  by  our  forces.  Could 
the  surface  have  been  fairly  turned  over,  and  had  they 
not  been  cooked,  it  seemed  as  though  the  undigested 
stock  peas,  as  they  lay  where  they  had  been  voided, 
would  have  seeded  the  land  fora  crop.  Police  duty  was 
necessarily  arduous,  and  subsequent  sickness  was  doubt 
less  largely  owing  to  the  effluvia  our  utmost  pains-taking 
was  powerless  to  escape. 

Rebel  graves  were  stuck  in  everywhere  along  the 
lines,  singly,  and  by  twos  and  threes,  wherever  there 
was  a  spot  sheltered  so  they  could  safely  bury,  or  level 
enough  for  two  or  three  graves  together.  Very  many 
had  been  buried  in  the  trenches  where  they  fell,  as  we 
suspected  then,  and  soon  found  upon  repairing  the 
works,  and  in  few  instances  were  they  buried  so  deep 
that  the  stench,  and  often  the  green  flies  did  not  become 
a  great  annoyance.  When  we  blew  up  Fort  Hill,  upon 
remodeling  the  works,  sometime  after,  the  mass  of  legs, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


arms,  and  other  decaying  remains  turned  up  by  the 
spade,  was  so  great  as  to  give  us  new  ideas  of  the  terri 
ble  punishment  we  had  inflicted  upon  them,  and  to  cause 
us  to  seriously  fear  for  the  effect  upon  our  health,  des 
pite  our  utmost  precautions. 

But  notwithstanding  all  we  found  to  prove  their  fear 
ful  suffering  and  loss  during  the  siege,  everybody  in 
Vicksburg — unless  talking  upon  some  other  subject,  and 
telling  the  truth  by  accident — stoutly  maintained  that  we 
had  done  them  very  little  if  any  damage.  The  long  and 
terrible  struggle  which  had  terminated  in  the  uncondi 
tional  surrender  of  more  than  30,000  famishing  troops, 
and  such  a  vast  quantity  of  munitions  of  war,  which, 
ere  it  reached  that  result,  had  wiped  out  whole  batteries 
and  companies,  till  not  a  man  remained,  which  had 
rained  iron  hail  and  leaden  death  upon  their  devoted 
heads  from  a  thousand  cannon  and  more  than  50,000 
rifles,  night  and  day,  for  weeks,  till  every  place  of  busi 
ness  was  closed,  and  all  dwellings  abandoned,  the  in 
habitants  having  gone  into  the  earth  like  prairie  dogs  for 
safety,  and  which  had  killed  non-combatants  by  scores 
and  hundreds  in  their  places  of  shelter,  and  as  they 
sought  to  go  a  few  steps  by  night  in  the  streets,  all  that 
had  been  a  mere  bagatelle — a  simple  farce.  We  had 
been  greatly  mistaken  if  we  thought  we  had  punished 
them  much  ;  very  greatly  mistaken.  But  we  must  have 
suffered  terribly,  they  said.  Such  ability  to  hide  the 
plainest  facts  from  their  eyes,  and  fortify  themselves  in 
transparent  falsehoods  which  had  nearly  ruined  them, 


132  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

we  could  scarcely  believe  a  sane  people  capable  of.  But 
there  it  was,  before  us  every  day,  and  some  of  its 
changes  continually  ringing  in  our  ears. 

On  the  Qth  of  July  we  had  dress  parade  for  the  first 
time  in  months.  It  was  sad  to  look  at  our  decimated 
ranks,  and  many  an  eye  filled  with  tears  for  those  whose 
places  were  vacant.  But  upon  the  whole  the  occasion 
was  a  proud  one  ;  it  was  a  parade  of  veterans. 

On  the  nth  and  I2th  the  paroled  prisoners  passed 
outside  the  works  for  their  homes,  after  being  searched 
in  line  for  powder  and  arms,  which  some  were  trying  to 
smuggle  out.  Many  severely  reprobated  Gen.  Grant 
for  paroling  them,  alleging  that  they  would  not  regard 
their  parole.  But  he  had  not  the  transportation  requi 
site  for  sending  them  north,  unless  he  took  it  from  our 
sick  and  wounded,  who  were  loading  every  boat ;  neither 
had  he  the  rations  for  them  so  far,  or  where  they  were, 
with  all  the  citizens  to  feed.  He  had  no  alternative  with 
such  a  multitude  on  his  hands,  besides  it  was  confidently 
believed  by  many,  that  after  such  fearful  punishment  as 
they  had  received,  if  permitted  to  scatter,  very  many  of 
them  would  be  lost  to  the  Confederacy,  without  any  fur 
ther  cost  to  us,  and  that  they  might  prove  to  be  the 
moulders  of  a  healthier  public  sentiment  throughout  the 
south. 

On  the  1 5th  of  July  we  moved  camp  again  about  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile,  taking  a  position  about  equi-distant 
from  the  Jackson  road  and  the  rebel  works,  in  front  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  133 

the    right  of  Ransom's    old    position.      We    gained  in 
height,  shade  and  water  by  the  change. 

About  this  time  the  oak  under  which  Grant  and 
Pemberton  sat,  July  3d,  became  the  object  of  very  spe 
cial  interest  to  the  soldiers.  It  was  a  somewhat  preten 
tious  tree,  about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  of  a  narrow 
leaved  variety,  and  ought  to  have  been  sacredly  pre 
served,  like  the  charter  oak  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  the 
Washington  elm  at  Cambridge,  Mass.  But  the  idea  was 
conceived  of  making  relics  of  it,  and  it  was  cut  down 
and  dug  up,  even  to  every  little  fragment  of  its  roots, 
and  gone,  before  what  was  being  done  was  known  by 
those  who  might  have  saved  it.  It  was  divided  up  and 
sold  for  fabulous  sums  for  canes,  boxes,  sets  in  rings, 
etc.,  and  cords  were  probably  palmed  off  upon  the  credu 
lous  for  Pemberton  oak,  which  the  tree  was  as  innocent 
of  as  a  poplar.  Lately  a  small  monument  and  iron  rail 
ing  marked  the  spot,  but  these,  too,  yielded  to  vandal 
hands,  and  were  subsequently  replaced  by  others. 

Notwithstanding  the  skill  and  pains-taking  of  our 
medical  staff,  sickness  began  to  tell  fearfully  upon  the 
regiment.  The  heat  was  excessive,  the  stench  was 
deadly,  and  the  duty  hard.  A  malarial  fever,  of  a  pecu 
liar  type,  became  very  prevalent.  After  suffering  a  few 
hours,  the  patients  would  turn  yellow  as  saffron.  Some 
thought  it  the  veritable  yellow  fever,  and  were  greatly 
alarmed,  but  the  boys  who  recovered  from  it  christened 
it  "  the  break-bones  fever,"  by  which  name  it  is  gener 
ally  remembered.  Sanitary  stores  were  plenty,  our 


134  HISTORY  OF  THE 


hospital  accommodations  as  good  as  they  could  be  made 
in  tents  and  booths,  and  the  care  of  the  nurses  was  un 
remitting.  All  chronic  cases  were  sent  to  the  general 
hospitals  or  furloughed,  that  every  energy  might  be  ex 
pended  upon  that  class  which  needed  it  most.  The 
Hospital  Steward,  C.  B.  Allaire,  refused  a  furlough 
home,  to  remain  at  his  post,  and  too  much  praise  can 
not  be  given  to  all  who  did  what  they  could  at  this 
juncture.  But  despite  everything  our  mortality  list  was 
fearfully  large. 

On  the  26th  of  July  a  bomb-shell  exploded  in  our 
camp,  in  the  dismissal  of  Major  R.  P.  Pattison  from  the' 
service,  by  order  of  the  War  Department,  which  had 
already  taken  effect  July  pth.  There  was  something  so 
peculiarly  cruel  in  this  order,  coming  just  when  it  did, 
and  having  been  cooking  just  when  it  had,  while  a  brave 
officer  was  undergoing  all  the  perils  and  rigors  of  such  a 
campaign  and  siege,  that,  had  it  been  really  deserved, 
it  would  still  have  secured  for  him  the  sympathy  of  all- 
patriotic  men  in  the  service  or  out  of  it.  But  based 
upon  a  technicality,  as  it  was,  its  reprobation  was  uni 
versal,  and  the  sympathy  with  the  Major  was  very 
demonstrative  and  deep.  It  seemed  that  Company  H, 
of  Aurora,  of  which  the  Major  was  Captain,  had  been 
entitled,  like  many  others,  to  pay  for  subsistence  between 
the  time  of  its  enlistment  and  its  drawing  rations  at 
Camp  Butler.  For  this  subsistence  the  Major  had  put 
in  a  claim  against  the  government,  as  very  many  others 
had  under  the  same  circumstances,  as  though  he  had 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  135 


subsisted  the  men.  This  claim  had  been  allowed,  he 
had  received  the  money,  and  divided  it  pro  rata  among 
the  men,  who  had  really  subsisted  themselves,  and  were 
entitled  to  the  pay  for  it.  The  government  was  not 
wronged,  and  the  Major  was  not  a  gainer.  For  this, 
and  this  alone,  he  was  dismissed  from  the  service.  He 
immediately  bade  us  a  sad  farewell,  and  j  astening  to 
Washington,  laid  his  case  before  the  proper  authorities. 
The  dismissal  was  promptly  revoked,  and  he  soon  re 
ceived  an  order  restoring  him  to  his  rank  and  command, 
but  having  had  advantageous  offers  of  business  extended 
him,  which  had  been  accepted  previous  to  its  receipt,  he 
did  not  rejoin  the  regiment.  This  was  one  of  the  very 
few  really  unpleasant  episodes  of  our  regimental  life,  for 
which  there  seemed  to  be  no  sufficient  cause. 

About  this  time  many  other  changes  took  place  in  our 
command.  Owing  to  a  partial  failure  of  his  sight, 
Chaplain  Foskett  resigned  July  1st,  leaving  us  just 
before  the  surrender.  Religious  services  were  still  sus 
tained  in  the  regiment,  however,  the  sick  visited,  and 
the  dead  appropriately  buried,  by  Capt.  Brink,  of  Com 
pany  D,  and  1st  Lieut.  Howard,  of  Company  I,  who 
were  both  ministers.  Later  a  petition,  at  the  instiga 
tion  of  the  men,  was  signed  by  all  the  officers  of  the 
regiment,  for  Lieut.  Howard's  promotion  to  the  vacant 
Chaplaincy,  upon  which  he  was  commissioned  Chaplain 
and  subsequently  accepted  the  office,  remaining  with  the 
regiment  till  its  muster  out  of  service. 


136  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

Capt.  R.  A.  Tenny,  of  Company  A,  had  tried  to 
struggle  through  the  campaign  until  reduced  almost  to  a 
skeleton,  and  even  his  life  was  despaired  of,  when  he 
felt  compelled  to  resign.  It  was  hard  for  us  to  lose 
the  inimitable,  inspiring,  once  jolly  "Ralph"  from 
among  us,  but  there  was  no  alternative.  His  resigna 
tion,  bearing  date  July  9th,  and  the  death  of  Lieut. 
Julius  A.  Pratt,  caused  the  promotion  of  2d  Lieut.  E. 
C.  Raymond  to  the  Captaincy,  while  Orderly  D.  Ames 
Bigelow  became  1st  Lieutenant,  and  Serg't.  Warren  F. 
Dodge  2d  Lieutenant. 

Capt.  Stephen  Brink,  of  Company  D,  and  1st  Lieut. 
A.  A.  Cowderey  both  resigned  soon  after  the  surren 
der.  The  latter  had  been  on  detached  printing  service 
since  he  left  us  at  Oxford,  Miss.,  in  December,  1862. 
Abraham  Newland  became  Captain  of  this  Company, 
and  Henry  J.  Brockway  1st  Lieutenant. 

Capt.  Mathew  B.  Potter,  of  Company  F,  who  was 
wounded  at  Thompson's  Hill,  also  resigned  from  disa 
bility,  and  ist  Lieut.  Norman  H.  Pratt  became  Captain, 
and  2d  Lieut.  Enoch  W.  Taylor  ist  Lieutenant. 

Capt.  Thomas  K.  Roach,  of  Company  I,  who  had 
been  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  during  most  of  the  cam 
paign,  in  command  of  convalescent  camp,  came  to  the 
regiment  just  before  the  surrender,  but  was  unable  to 
resume  command  of  his  company  on  account  of  severe 
sickness,  and  resigned  July  iith.  1st  Lieut.  Howard 
having  been  promoted  Chaplain,  2d  Lieut.  Benjamin  A. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  137 


Griffith  became  Captain,  and  Sergt.  Elijah  Barton  1st 
Lieutenant. 

First  Lieutenants  John  VV.  Terry,  of  company  C,  and 
James  H.  Blackmore,  of  company  E,  also  resigned,  and 
2d  Lieutenant  Lewis  Dorian,  and  Sergeant  Reese  L. 
Merriman,  were  respectively  promoted  to  the  vacancies. 

On  the  i /th  of  July  Maj.  Marston  paid  us  to  June 
30th. 

Our  communications  were  now  open  with  the  north. 
Our  friends  began  to  visit  us,  and,  saving  the  sickness, 
we  commenced  gradually  to  recover  from  the  exhaustion 
of  the  campaign,  and  regain  our  former  elasticity  and 
tone. 

Quartermaster  Reece  had  a  little  detached  experience 
about  this  time,  which  deserves  to  be  told,  in  connection 
with  the  death  of  a  brother,  which  occurred  on  the  Big 
Black.  But  at  his  request  it  is  omitted,  only  as  we  say 
that  his  exhaustion  during  his  brother's  sickness,  and 
the  wearying  trip  home  to  Illinois  with  the  remains, 
brought  on  a  protracted  fever,  which  detained  him  at 
home  for  three  months,  during  which  time  the  business 
of  the  Quartermaster's  department  was  admirably  mana 
ged  by  Quartermaster-Sergeant  Durley. 


138  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2A.ru 


CHAPTER    XI. 


Home. — A  speech  from  Col.  Howe.  —  l'City  of  Madison." — Monroe  ex 
pedition. — Jamestown  weeds. — Camp  near  Bayou  Boeuf. — Monroe. 
— Leggett's  order. — Back  again. — Twenty-four  miles  the  first  day. — 
Only  eight  on  Sunday. — Then  twenty-five  miles  in  the  heat.— The 
worn  and  weary  given  six  miles  extra.— Home  once  more. — Col. 
Howe  on  military  commission  to  condemn  rebel  property. — A  scare. 
— Moved  camp. — Marching  orders. — The  Brownsville  and  Bogue 
Chitto  expedition. — Over  the  Champion  Hills  battle  ground.— In 
camp  again. 


NUMBERS  of  the  men  were  furloughed 
from  Vicksburg,  and  many  precious  lives  thereby 
saved.  In  other  instances  the  furloughs  came  too  late, 
and  the  ailing  ones  reached  home  only  to  die  there. 
Most  of  the  officers,  too,  were  granted  leave  of  absence, 
from  four  to  six  at  a  time,  and  the  dear  ones  at  the 
north  were  gladdened  by  the  presence  of  many  they 
had  feared  they  should  never  greet  again.  Nearly  every 
officer  and  well  soldier  going  up  the  river  had  one  or 
more  discharged  men  under  his  care,  making  the  trip 
one  of  great  weariness  and  anxiety.  And  often  the 
effort  to  assist  the  poor  invalids  home  terminated  in 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  139 

burying  them  by  the  way,  and  carrying  home  their  last 
words,  and  a  few  little  mementos  of  a  soldier's  undying 
love.  Thus  while  many  homes  were  brightened  by  the 
dear  one's  presence  as  July  and  August  sped  by,  over 
many  others  the  pall  settled  down  to  be  lifted  no  more. 

On  the  nth  of  August,  upon  the  return  of  Lieut. 
Col.  Howe  from  his  leave  of  absence,  the  boys  called 
him  out  for  a  speech,  and  he  addressed  them  very 
happily.  Col.  Sloan  also  made  some  remarks,  and  the 
occasion  was  one  of  some  interest.  A  little  different 
from  the  daily  routine  of  heat,  picket  and  fatigue. 

August  19,  a  shocking  accident  occurred  at  Vicks- 
burg,  in  the  blowing  up  of  the  steamer  "  City  of  Madi 
son."  She  was  being  loaded  with  ordnance  at  the 
wharf-boat,  and  it  was  said  a  percussion  shell  was  acci 
dentally  dropped  and  discharged,  communicating  with 
about  800,000  rounds  of  ammunition,  which  exploded 
with  terrible  force,  tearing  the  boat  all  to  pieces  save  a 
part  of  the  hull,  which  immediately  sunk.  About 
thirty  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  scene  beggared 
description.  None  of  our  boys  were  on  the  steamer  at 
the  time. 

On  the  2 1st  of  August,  about  noon,  marching  orders 
were  received,  for  where  no  one  knew,  and  all  the  bus 
tle  and  preparation  of  getting  off  were  ours  once  more. 
By  order  of  Col.  Sloan,  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  was  left  in 
charge  of  the  camp,  and  at  6  P.  M.,  led  by  the  brigade 
band,  the  regiment  marched  down  to  the  landing,  and 
embarked  on  the  "Sam  Gaty,"  with  the  23d  Indiana. 


140  HISTORY  OF  THE  12/j.Tii 

The  force  proved  to  consist  of  General  Logan's  fight 
ing  3d  division,  under  command  of  Gen.  John  D.  Ste 
venson,  of  Missouri.  We  soon  pulled  out  into  the 
stream  and  steamed  up  the  river.  The  night  was 
oppressively  hot,  and  the  mosquitos  fearfully  active,  so 
that  but  little  rest  was  to  be  had.  All  were  astir  early 
the  next  morning,  and  soon  after  breakfast  Goodrich 
landing  was  reached,  on  the  Louisiana  shore,  about 
sixty  miles  up  the  river,  and  the  command  debarked. 
We  marched  up  the  bank  about  three  miles  to  the  Dor- 
sett  plantation,  took  possession  of  the  grove  near  the 
mansion,  went  into  camp,  and  spent  the  day,  greatly 
enjoying  the  shade  and  a  bath  in  the  Mississippi,  as  a 
relief  from  the  extreme  heat. 

The  morning  of  the  23d,  which  was  Sunday,  we  moved 
early,  marching  back  to  the  landing,  and  then  striking 
due  west  for  Bayou  Tensas,  eight  miles  distant.  The 
road  lay  through  a  heavily  timbered,  low,  flat  country, 
which  had  been  flooded  when  the  levee  was  cut  at 
Providence,  to  the  height  of  about  fifteen  feet,  as  we 
could  see  on  all  the  trees.  The  opening  for  the  road 
was  so  wide  that  the  timber  afforded  us  no  shelter,  and 
we  were  shut  into  a  narrow  wagon  track  in  the  centre  of 
it  by  the  wonderful  Jamestown  and  other  weeds,  which 
towered  above  our  heads,  emitting  a  peculiarly  offensive 
and  sickening  odor.  The  heat  was  intense,  and  many 
of  the  men  were  completely  overcome  by  it.  Says 
Captain  Pratt,  of  Company  F  :  "  Upon  attempting  to 
form  a  line  and  stack  arms  at  Bayou  Tensas,  Sergeant 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  141 

Green  and  three  or  four  men  were  all  I  had,  while  Com 
pany  A  could  not  form  a  stack.  This  is  simply  an  in 
dex  of  the  condition  of  the  command.  I  was  personally 
never  more  prostrated  than  by  the  heat  and  the  noxious, 
mephitic  odors  arising  from  the  vegetation  through 
which  we  passed  that  day." 

The  bayou  was  reached  at  two  o'clock,  and  its  dark, 
murky  waters  hailed  with  delight.  Here  the  regiment 
bivouacked  for  the  night.  The  water  was  warm  and  un 
palatable,  but  the  rest  was  a  luxury,  though  in  a  cypress 
swamp,  amid  snakes,  lizards  and  alligators. 

August  24th,  'moved  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  roasting 
heat,  and  traveled  slowly.  We  were  told  by  the  intelli 
gent  contrabands  that  the  rebels  were  in  force  ahead, 
under  General  Walker,  with  thirty  pieces  of  artillery. 
We  stopped  for  coffee  and  roasting-ears  about  thirty 
minutes,  reached  Bayou  Mason  about  three  o'clock,  and 
bivouacked,  finding  good  water. 

The  25th  we  moved  about  fourteen  miles  through  a 
land  of  plenty,  which  kept  the  boys  and  the  darky 
cooks  in  clover.  But  towards  night  the  surface  of  the 
country  changed,  and  we  bivouacked  in  a  swamp,  wet 
and  dismal  enough.  Captain  Pratt  tells  the  story  in  this 
wise  :  "  We  obtained  water  out  of  sink  holes  and  mule 
tracks,  of  a  long  previous  date.  It  was  green  and  had 
remarkable  body.  After  boiling  and  skimming,  we 
made  coffee  with  it,  and  eating  our  hard-tack,  lay  down 
in  our  blankets,  and  found  the  repose  that  comes  so 
readily  to  the  innocent,  the  weary  and  the  just.  Before 


142  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

we  had  slept  long,  however,  some  of  those  indefatigable, 
restless  spirits  known  as  '  bummers, '  who  are  always  on 
the  move,  and  finding  out  what  seems  past  finding  out, 
came  in  with  canteens  full  of  clear,  sparkling  water, 
saying  that  three  miles  ahead  was  a  river  (Bayou  Boeuf) 
of  such  water,  with  a  sandy  bottom  and  numerous 
springs.  Then  the  air  became  lurid  and  sulphurous 
with  curses,  loud,  long  and  deep,  from  men  who  thought 
a  commander  who  knew  so  little  about  the  topography 
of  a  country  was  either  an  incompetent  ass,  or  utterly 
unfeeling."  Probably  a  part  of  the  command  was  near 
the  stream,  but  that  did  not  help  us. 

Here  Hospital  Steward  Allaire,  in  searching  for  water, 
was  lost  for  some  time  in  a  canebrake,  and  Lieut.  Mil 
ler,  on  Gen.  Leggett's  staff,  was  lost  for  the  night,  caus 
ing  serious  alarm.  But  he  found  his  way  into  the  lines 
again  in  the  early  morning. 

On  the  26th  we  marched  at  seven  o'clock,  and  halted 
at  the  river  Boeuf  at  eleven  o'clock  for  lunch.  We 
then  forded  the  stream  at  Point  Jefferson  Landing,  and 
passed  on  to  the  quiet  village  of  Oak  Ridge,  reaching 
it  late  in  the  afternoon.  Here  a  wedding  was  in  prog 
ress,  which  was  terminated  in  some  haste,  leaving  the 
wedding-cake  for  our  boys,  which  they  relished  im 
mensely. 

On  the  2/th  an  order  was  read  prohibiting  foraging 
in  the  Parishes  we  are  now  passing  through,  because 
the  inhabitants  are  said  to  be  loyal.  Our  route  lay 
through  a  swampy  forest  for  much  of  the  way  to-day, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  143 

over  corduroy  roads.  We  halted  for  rest  in  a  dark, 
cypress  swamp,  through  which  a  still  darker  lagoon 
wound  its  tortuous  course.  The  water  was  quite  cold, 
but  unpleasant  to  the  taste.  We  marched  sixteen  miles 
and  went  into  camp  at  night,  eight  miles  from  Monroe, 
with  the  expectation  of  meeting  the  enemy  to-morrow. 

Had  inspection  of  arms  the  first  thing  in  the  morning 
of  the  28th,  which  we  knew  meant  business.  Our 
brigade  had  the  advance,  with  the  3ist  Illinois  in 
front.  The  country  through  which  we  began  to  move 
was  very  fine,  the  plantations  being  large  and  well  im 
proved,  orchards  of  apple,  peach  and  apricot  trees 
numerous  and  flourishing,  and  the  buildings  large,  rich 
and  often  pretentious.  Nothing  seemed  wanting  to 
make  the  land  a  paradise,  but  to  eliminate  the  ignorance 
and  bitterness  of  the  people,  and  diffuse  intelligence 
and  a  loving  spirit  in  their  place.  How  often  are  we 
compelled  to  remember  and  endorse  the  poetical  senti 
ment,  "Man's  inhumanity  to  man  makes  countless 
thousands  mourn." 

When  within  about  two  miles  of  Monroe  we  heard 
the  booming  of  artillery  ahead,  which  somewhat  quick 
ened  our  pulses,  and  we  hastened  forward.  But  we 
soon  learned  that  the  redoubtable  foe  had  fled,  and 
Monroe  was  ours. 

We  marched  through  the  place  with  drums  beating 
and  colors  flying,  the  people  seeming  to  be  really  glad 
to  see  us.  The  negroes  especially  were  shouting  and 
laughing  in  high  glee,  as  though  the  day  of  jubilee  had 


144  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 

really  come.  We  found  Monroe  a  very  pretty  and  some 
what  wealthy  place,  the  seat  of  government  of  Wachita 
Parish,  and  pleasantly  situated  upon  the  bank  of  the 
Wachita  river,  a  lovely  and  inviting  stream.  We  went 
into  camp  in  a  delightful  shade  upon  its  banks,  expecting 
to  remain  some  time. 

Gen.  Leggett,  our  brigade  commander,  soon  made  us 
a  speech,  telling  us  we  were  in  the  "land  of  plenty," 
that  fruit  and  vegetables  were  in  abundance,  and  we 
were  to  have  a  full  supply.  The  citizens  were  going  to 
make  us  munificent  donations  in  the  morning,  and  we 
were  to  send  our  wagons  for  the  bountiful  store.  But 
in  the  meantime  we  were  not  to  touch  or  disturb  a  thing, 
for  these  were  Union  people,  and  sent  for  us  to  come 
there  to  drive  the  rebels  out.  The  boys  responded  with 
a  shout  of  "Hurrah  for  Leggett,"  and  "Bully  for  Mon 
roe,"  and  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  on  their  good  be 
havior,  bathing  in  the  limpid,  pebbly-bottomed  Wachita, 
and  chatting  about  home,  and  the  good  things  of  the 
morrow. 

Sergeant- Major  Richards  describes  the  realizations  of 
the  morning  of  the  2pth  as  follows : 

'  'O  happy  anticipations  of  yesterday  !  What  a  van 
ishing  of  bountiful,  good  things  does  the  reality  of  the 
morning's  order  cause,  turning  our  hopes  into  disap 
pointment  and  bitterness.  '  Backward,  march,'  was  the 
word,  starting  at  six  A.  M.  The  boys  were  simply  mad, 
and  cursed  Gen.  Leggett  up  and  down  for  deceiving 
them  so.  It  was  a  little  the  most  complete  *  sell '  in 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  145 

the  way  of  promises  that  we  had  ever  been  made  the 
victims  of,  and  seemed  so  needless.  We  could  not  get 
over  it  all  day,  and  the  boys  were  just  spoiling  for  a 
fight,  or  an  opportunity  to  clean  somebody  out." 

To  add  to  the  cause  for  complaint,  the  haste  with 
which  we  were  moved,  was  very  trying.  Without  hav 
ing  accomplished  anything,  or  being  in  any  danger,  the 
average  soldier  could  not  understand  why  we  should  be 
kept  at  such  a  pace,  and  compelled  to  make  twenty- 
four  miles  in  such  a  hot  day,  unless  it  was  to  run  away 
from  the  negroes,  who  literally  swarmed  about  us. 
We  reached  our  old  camp  on  Oak  Hill  at  ten  p.  M., 
and  needed  no  rocking  to  sleep. 

The  next  day  we  marched  only  eight  miles,  and  bivou 
acked  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river  Boeuf,  having  crossed 
it  two  miles  below  Point  Jefferson  Landing.  The  rest 
was  very  acceptable,  and  especially  so  to  many,  as  it 
was  Sunday.  Some  of  the  men,  however,  improved 
the  opportunity  to  forage  a  little,  and  among  other 
things  made  the  pleasant  acquaintance  of  the  musca 
dine  grape,  which  was  very  plenty  in  the  forests. 

On  Monday,  August  3ist,  we  marched  twenty-five 
miles  in  the  heat  and  dust,  starting  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  This  was  simply  terrible,  and  all  the  more 
so,  as  it  seemed  to  be  entirely  unnecessary.  So  many 
of  the  men  were  crippled  and  used  up  that,  after  lying 
in  camp  all  day  September  I,  they  were  detached  from 
the  command,  to  the  number  of  about  a  hundred,  and, 
under  Capt.  Pratt,  of  company  F,  started  forward  at 


146  HISTORY  OF  THE 


five  P.  M.  ,  with  orders  to  proceed  to  the  Mississippi  and 
go  up  the  river  three  miles,  and  bivouack.  This  they 
did,  reaching  the  designated  point  a  little  before  day 
light,  all  terribly  exhausted  and  footsore,  and  throwing 
themselves  upon  the  ground  with  sighs  of  immense 
relief. 

Meantime  the  whole  command  was  moved  forward  at 
a  break-neck  pace,  starting  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night, 
and  reached  the  landing  at  six  A.  M.,  September  2d,  our 
regiment  having,  as  the  boys  expressed  it,  raced  the 
23d  Indiana  all  night,  laying  out  the  Hoosiers  by  the 
roadside  quite  plentifully.  The  command  was  immedi 
ately  embarked,  we  going,  with  our  whole  brigade,  upon 
the  '  '  Sam  Gaty  "  again.  This  necessitated  an  order  for 
Captain  Pratt's  command  to  countermarch  to  the  landing 
forthwith  in  order  to  go  with  us,  which  the  poor  boys 
did,  thereby  gaining  the  sorry  privilege  of  marching  six 
miles  further  by  starting  six  hours  earlier.  This  gives 
some  faint  idea  of  the  wisdom  and  military  sagacity 
manifested  in  the  conduct  of  the  Monroe  expedition, 
which,  to  many  an  officer  and  soldier,  looked  like  the 
exploit  of  that  famous  king  who  marched  an  army  up  a 
hill,  and  then  —  marched  down  again.  That  evening 
found  us  in  our  home  camp  at  Vicksburg,  where  we 
were  permitted  to  welcome  Adjutant  Smith  once  more, 
who  had  not  been  with  us  since  wounded  at  Champion 
Hills. 

The  rest  of  September  passed  without  anything 
worthy  of  special  notice. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTKY.  147 

October  1st,  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  was  detailed  on  a  mili 
tary  commission  to  condemn  rebel  property,  with  Gen. 
Leggett,  president,  and  Capt.  Chauncey  Black,  of  the  * 
1 7th  Illinois,  the  other  member.  This  necessarily  took 
the  Colonel  from  us  considerable  of  the  time,  though  he 
still  occupied  his  regimental  quarters.  The  commission 
held  sessions  and  adjourned  from  time  to  time  for 
months. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  after  our  division  had  been 
on  general  review  once  more,  which  had  quickened  our 
military  pulses  a  little,  we  were  treated  to  quite  a  scare. 
There  had  been  rumors  of  hovering  rebels  for  several 
days,  and  an  extensive  line  of  new  fortifications  had 
been  commenced,  intended  to  be  impregnable,  but  they 
were  not  completed,  and  there  was  a  general  feeling  of 
insecurity,  should  any  formidable  demonstration  be 
made  against  us.  A  very  heavy  thunder  shower  occur 
red  in  the  early  part  of  the  night,  and  in  the  midst  of  it 
the  report  was  circulated  that  the  enemy  had  driven  in 
our  pickets  on  the  Big  Black,  and  were  advancing  upon 
us  in  force.  Some  were  incredulous,  but  there  was  also 
considerable  alarm.  The  regiment  was  immediately 
ordered  out  on  picket,  and  passed  the  night  under  arms. 
But  no  enemy  appeared,  and  the  morning  brought  us 
to  camp  and  quiet  again. 

October  9th  we  moved  our  camp  into  an  orchard, 
nearer  the  city,  and  expected,  from  the  nature  of  the 
move,  to  have  the  privilege  of  occupying  it  for  the  win 
ter.  But  we  had  scarcely  begun  to  make  ourselves  com 


148  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

fortable  when  marching  orders  were  received,  coming 
just  after  service  on  Sunday,  the  nth,  and  immediately 
all  was  bustle  in  drawing  rations,  and  getting  ready  for 
a  start. 

We  did  not  get  off  until  six  A.  M.,  on  the  I4th, 
when  we  moved  east  on  the  Jackson  road,  by  our  old 
siege  quarters.  Our  force  consisted  of  Gen.  Logan's 
division,  though  he  was  not  with  us,  and  a  few  cavalry. 
At  the  Big  Black  we  were  joined  by  Gen.  Tuttle's  divis 
ion,  of  Sherman's  Army  Corps,  the  whole  being  under 
Gen.  McPherson.  We  moved  along  very  nicely,  the 
men  being  fresh,  the  roads  fine,  and  the  day  cool,  and 
made  about  sixteen  miles,  camping  on  the  Big  Black 
before  nightfall. 

The  morning  of  the  I5th  of  October  is  memorable  for 
the  tremendous  racket  kept  up  for  a  full  hour  in  beating 
reveille.  The  noise  would  have  easily  indicated  the  pre 
sence  of  40,000  men,  and  if  it  was  a  piece  of  strategy, 
just  what  effect  it  was  to  produce,  and  where,  would  be 
open  questions.  We  moved  again  at  six,  crossed  the 
Big  Black,  and  pushed  on  towards  Canton,  through  a 
fine  country,  heavily  timbered,  in  which  the  dark  ever 
green  magnolia  and  holly  seemed  struggling  against  the 
approach  of  winter,  as  indicated  by  the  deciduous  trees 
that  had  cast  their  foliage.  It  was  as  though  the  torrid 
zone  had  stretched  out  her  fingers  on  the  ridges  to  repel 
the  en  croachment  of  the  familiar  polar  regions,  saying 
to  them  despite  their  naked  creeping  down  the  valleys, 
"Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther."  We  en- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  149 

joyed  the  march  very  much,  picked  a  few  grapes  and 
chincapins  by  the  roadside,  when  halting,  which  we  fre 
quently  did,  and  actually  saw  one  magnolia  blossom,  at 
that  unusual  season  of  the  year.  About  three  o'clock 
we  passed  through  the  village  of  Brownsville,  and  soon 
found  our  teams  corraled  and  heard  firing.  Skirmishers 
were  thrown  out,  lines  of  battle  were  formed,  and  busi 
ness  was  indicated  generally.  The  skirmishing  con 
tinued,  more  or  less  brisk,  till  nightfall,  and  we  bivou 
acked  where  we  lay  in  line  of  battle. 

The  next  morning  was  beautiful.  We  were  early 
astir,  but  did  not  move.  Shelling  was  heard  at  a  dis 
tance,  and  we  were  informed  the  force  confronting  us 
was  a  body  of  about  1,800  cavalry,  under  Wirt  Adams 
or  Cosby.  The  whole  day  was  spent  in  maneuvering 
and  trying  to  flank  the  enemy.  Occasionally  the  firing 
would  be  quite  heavy,  and  then  comparatively  still. 
Some  casualties  occurred,  but  mostly  in  the  cavalry. 
The  Bogue  Chitto  creek  was  in  our  front  and  the  enemy 
used  their  superior  knowledge  of  the  ground  to  good 
advantage,  though  a  part  of  our  force  crossed  the  creek 
upon  their  flank.  We  encamped  quietly  a  few  rods 
from  the  creek  at  night. 

Peter  Victor  was  captured  and  murdered  that  day,  as 
we  learned  subsequently.  His  body  was  found  in  a 
ravine. 

The  morning  of  the  i/th  they  commenced  shelling  us 
about  six  o'clock.  Our  brigade  crossed  the  creek  and 
deployed  in  a  cornfield,  throwing  out  skirmishers.  Our 


150  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

artillery  soon  opened  and  we  advanced  in  line  of  battle 
for  upwards  of  a  mile.  The  most  of  our  command  was 
in  sight  a  part  of  the  time,  advancing  in  column  of  bri 
gades,  and  the  display  was  very  fine,  the  effect  being 
heightened  by  the  shelling  from  both  sides,  and  the 
curling  smoke  in  the  air  as  time  shells  burst  over  their 
position  and  our  advancing  lines.  Soon  we  saw  their 
cavalry  moving  rapidly  to  our  left,  and  upon  ascending 
the  higher  ground  found  their  position  deserted,  though 
our  advance  had  found  a  few  to  fire  at,  with  a  section  of 
artillery,  up  to  within  a  few  minutes.  We  soon  moved 
forward  briskly  by  the  flank  and  pursued  them  till  nearly 
dark,  when  we  burnt  a  tannery,  and  manufactory  of  some 
kind  of  war  material,  and  falling  back  a  little  for  forage 
and  water,  went  into  camp.  It  rained  heavily  in  the 
night.  The  next  morning  we  retraced  our  steps  a  few 
miles,  and  then  diverged  southward  toward  Clinton, 
which  we  reached  about  four  o'clock.  While  halting 
there  for  a  little  rest,  the  enemy's  skirmishers  opened 
upon  our  rear,  but  we  paid  them  but  little  attention, 
moving  on  toward  Vicksburg,  and  going  into  camp 
about  eight  o'clock,  the  other  side  of  the  road  from  our 
old  camping  ground  the  night  before  the  battle  of  Cham 
pion  Hills.  As  we  afterwards  learned,  the  enemy  had 
brought  up  Loring's  division  of  infantry  against  us,  be 
sides  Wirt  Adams,  Logan,  Cosby,  and  Whitman's  bri 
gades  of  cavalry.  We  really  had  retreated  from  the 
face  of  a  superior  foe,  but  the  men  did  not  know  it. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  151 

The  morning  of  October  ipth  was  lovely.  We  had 
plenty  of  leisure  for  breakfast  and  got  off  at  last  about 
eight  o'clock,  well  refreshed,  moving  over  the  familiar 
road,  and  the  battle  ground  of  Champion  Hills.  Our 
brigade  band  played  a  while  before  we  started,  and  the 
enemy  were  firing  occasional  shots  into  our  rear,  which 
heightened  our  interest  in  the  occasion  and  place,  but 
we  kept  up  our  flank  movement  undisturbed,  with  our 
band  playing  and  flags  unfurled.  We  especially  marked 
the  course  of  our  own  regiment,  saw  the  graves  of  our 
comrades,  ancl  also  those  of  Colonel  Skid  Harris,  and 
Major  J.  W.  Anderson,  of  the  43d  Georgia,  killed  at 
the  previous  battle.  Our  emotions  can  be  better  ima 
gined  than  described. 

We  pushed  on  over  the  same  road  of  May  i/th,  past 
Edward's  Station,  crossed  the  Big  Black  on  a  pontoon 
bridge  just  above  the  burnt  railroad  bridge,  and  camped 
at  Bovina. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  the  2Oth  we 
reached  camp  in  Vicksburg.  and  were  at  home  again, 
where  we  were  gladdened  by  the  presence  of  Quarter 
master  Reece,  after  an  absence  of  over  three  months. 


152  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Reece's  river  experience. — A  new  wagonmaster. — Details  to  colored 
regiments. — Conley's  mule. — Roses. — Moved  to  Big  Black. — Colonel 
Howe  in  command. — Logan's  farewell. — Battalion  drill. — Trial  drill 
of  brigade. — Won  prize  for  best  picket  duty. — Officers'  mess. — 
Regimental  chapel. — Leggett  division  commander. — Force  in  com 
mand  of  brigade. — Major  Mann. 

COMING  DOWN  the  river  on  the  steamer  "Live 
Oak,"  in  company  with  Colonel  Stolbrand,  Logan's 
chief  of  artillery,  Captain  Raymond,  of  our  regiment, 
and  other  officers,  and  a  number  of  citizens  of  the  south, 
Quartermaster  Reece  had  a  bit  of  experience,  which  we 
insert  in  his  own  language,  as  bringing  out  a  phase  of 
army  life,  and  of  the  character  of  the  rebellion,  which 
deserves  to  be  recorded  : 

a  After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  the  guerrillas  infested 
both  sides  of  the  river,  and  gave  our  transports  a  great 
deal  of  trouble,  few  boats  passing  up  or  down  without 
being  fired  into.  Requiring  some  wood  one  morning  we 
landed  at  a  wood  yard.  As  soon  as  the  plank  was  run 
out  several  stepped  on  the  bank,  I  being  among  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  153 


number,  but  the  clerk  of  the  boat,  who  had  gone  ashore 
as  usual,  decided  very  suddenly  not  to  purchase,  has 
tened  on  board,  and  the  plank  was  drawn  in  so  quickly 
that  some  of  us  had  to  jump  lively  to  keep  from  being- 
left,  and  before  we  reached  the  stairs  leading  to  the 
cabin,  we  were  saluted  with  a  shower  of  bullets  from 
guerrillas  secreted  behind  the  wood.  Had  the  clerk 
concluded  to  purchase  there  would  have  been  trouble. 

Our  Captain  was  an  old  rebel,  and  having  surrendered 
one  boat  on  the  Missouri  river,  no  doubt  would  have 
surrendered  this  But  the  Pilot  was  true  to  the  Union 
and  a  brave  man.  After  the  second  volley  the  guerril 
las  made  a  target  of  him  as  he  stood  at  the  wheel,  trying 
to  get  the  boat  out  into  the  current,  and  their  shots 
broke  the  glass  all  around  him.  As  the  bullets  and  glass 
were  flying  he  was  heard  to  say,  * '  Shoot  away,  you 
devils,  you  can't  have  this  boat."  And,  thanks  to  his 
pluck  and  skill,  they  did  not  get  the  boat. 

Upon  entering  the  cabin,  I  found  the  greatest  confu 
sion  existing.  I  hastened  to  my  state-room  and  ob 
tained  my  revolver,  (though  i  might  as  well  have  pro 
cured  a  club,)  and  then  took  a  survey  of  the  comical 
scene.  One  man  had  a  cane-seated  chair,  holding  it 
over  his  head  for  protection,  and  a  number  were  lying 
as  close  to  the  floor  as  they  could  possibly  get.  The 
women  and  children  had  retreated  to  their  state-rooms, 
and  were  trying  to  barricade  their  doors  for  safety,  while 
one  of  the  waiters  on  the  boat  had  piled  the  extra  leaves 
of  the  table  on  the  floor,  and  was  lying  on  the  wrong 


154  HISTORY  OF  THE  i 241*11 

side  of  them,  under  their  shelter.  In  the  language  of  a 
colored  man,  '  'Sich  scattering  among  the  citizens  I  never 
did  see."  But  the  soldiers  were  mostly  on  deck,  pre 
pared  for  anything  that  might  occur,  though  aside  from 
the  breaking  of  glass  in  the  wheel-house  and  side  of  the 
boat,  no  great  damage  was  done. 

The  officers  and  soldiers  on  board  soon  held  a  meet 
ing,  and  as  our  suspicions  had  been  aroused  by  the  ac 
tion  of  the  Captain,  we  selected  a  good  man  to  watch 
him  during  the  remainder  of  the  trip,  with  instructions 
to  shoot  him  at  once  in  case  of  any  proceeding  which 
should  place  us  or  the  boat  in  peril." 

Upon  Recce's  return,  he  found  himself  with  a  new 
Wagon-Master,  McAuley  having  received  promotion  to 
a  Lieutenancy  in  a  colored  regiment,  and  C.  C.  Miles, 
of  company  A,  having  been  appointed  in  his  place. 
Miles  filled  that  position  with  efficiency  for  the  rest  of 
our  term  of  service. 

About  this  time  a  great  number  of  our  boys  sought 
and  obtained  promotion  in  the  colored  service,  thereby 
increasing  their  pay  without  increasing  their  risks,  but 
usually  rendering  their  associations  far  less  pleasant. 
For  a  time  the  loss  of  so  many  threatened  to  essentially 
impair  our  strength  and  efficiency,  especially  in  some 
companies  where  it  became  almost  epidemic,  those  who 
had  gone  being  bent  upon  getting  others  to  go  to  be 
with  them,  and  there  was  considerable  complaining 
among  those  who  cared  most  for  our  regimental  record. 
Company  A  resisted  so  stoutly  as  not  to  lose  a  man. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  155 


The  following  is  believed  to  be  a  nearly  correct  list  of 
those  who  left  us,  though  several  whose  names  are  in 
cluded  did  not  go  till  the  following  year.  Most  of  them 
received  commissions,  but  what  rank  they  attained  can 
not  be  learned  in  time  for  insertion  here  : 

Wm.  A.  Bingham,  Walter  M.  McAuley,  Henry  A. 
Lewis  and  Theodore  Wood,  of  Company  B  ;  Noah 
Hodge,  D.  C.  Caward,  J.  J.  Eubank,  W.  W.  Leverett, 
J.  H.  Slaughter  and  C.  B.  Thacher,  of  Company  C  ; 
Jos.  A.  Dean,  Victor  M.  Dewey,  Geo.  W.  Weeks  and 
Robt.  A.  Hogaboom,  Company  D;  Wm.  Getchel,  Homer 
J.  Elliott,  Horace  J.  Hall,  John  Fairweather,  Frank 
Pinney,  Jacob  G.  Forney,  Maurice  C.  Ryan,  Napoleon 
J.  Smith  and  Hiram  G.  Wyckoff,  of  Company  E;  Ed 
ward  H.  Cheeney,  Alfred  H.  Carson  and  Thomas  M. 
Custer,  of  Company  F ;  John  P.  Dungan,  of  Company 
G  ;  O.  D.  Bonney,  Samuel  A.  Campbell,  Florence  M. 
Crosby,  Solomon  S.  Dennison,  Asahel  Judd,  Harvey 
S.  Seymore  and  Joseph  Sedgwick,  of  Company  H  ;  and 

A.  B.  Kelly,  of  Company  I.      Add  to  these  Xenophen 
Beher,  of  Company  H,  who  was  made  Principal  Musi 
cian  as  Chief  Bugler  of  the  3d  U.  S.  C.  C.,  and  we  have 
a  reduction    of  our  numbers  by  the  loss    of  thirty-six 
competent,  reliable  men. 

Sometime  in  October  Ransom  Conley,  of  Company 

B,  one  of  our  teamsters,  had  a  little  characteristic  expe 
rience,  too   good   to   be   lost.     The  story  is  taken  from 
Recce's  diary.    A  favorite  lead  mule  of  Conley's,  which 
he  had  taught  a  number  of  tricks,  was  missing  from  the 


156  HISTORY  OF  THE 


corral  .  After  hunting-  a  long  time,  he  was  found  in  the 
corral  of  the  Sist  Illinois,  with  his  mane  shaved  off  and 
otherwise  disguised,  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  recognize 
him.  Conley  insisted  that  it  was  his  mule,  but  the  boys 
of  the  8  ist  declared  it  was  not.  So  he  laid  his  griev 
ance  before  Lieut.  Root,  the  regimental  Quartermaster. 
who  knew  the  circumstances,  how  his  boys  procured 
the  mule,  and  being  fond  of  a  joke,  he  asked  Conley 
how  he  could  identify  his  mule.  Among  other  tricks 
which  Conley  had  taught  the  mule,  was  one  to  follow 
when  patted  upon  the  neck.  So  he  immediately  ans 
wered,  "All  I  have  to  do.  is  to  pat  that  mule  on  the 
neck  and  he  will  follow  me  all  around  the  corral."  But 
this  the  8  ist  boys  knew  of,  and  had  taught  the  mule 
a  counteracting  trick,  when  he  was  patted  upon  the  neck 
to  kick  instead  of  following.  This  Lieut.  Root  under 
stood,  so  he  gave  Conley  permission  to  go  and  prove 
his  property.  He  thought  surely  he  was  all  right,  and 
would  soon  be  in  possession  of  his  favorite  again,  but 
upon  patting  the  mule  upon  the  neck,  to  his  great  aston 
ishment  and  disgust,  he  wheeled  and  kicked  him.  But 
the  indomitable  teamster  would  not  give  it  up  that  way, 
though  the  laugh  was  so  perfectly  on  him,  and  he  had 
nothing  personal  to  gain  or  lose  by  it,  but  pressed  his 
claim  till  in  January  after,  when  he  obtained  the  follow 
ing  order  from  Army  Corps  headquarters,  which  is  pro 
bably  without  a  parallel  in  the  service  : 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  157 

HEADQUARTERS,  I/TH  ARMY  CORPS, 

Vicksburg,  Jan.   Hth,   1864. 

Ransom  Conley,  private  teamster  I24th  regiment  Illi 
nois  volunteers,  has  permission  to  get  a  mule  belonging 
to  his  team,  upon  proper  identification  of  the  same. 
By  order  of 

MAJ.  GEN.  McPHERSON. 
L.  S.  WILLARD,  Major  and  A.  D.  C. 

Upon  this  Conley  triumphed,  riding  off  his  mule  with 
the  greatest  satisfaction,  and  all  admired  the  pluck  with 
which  he  had  prosecuted  his  claim.  The  original  order 
is  in  our  hands  as  we  write  the  story ;  but  more  of  Con- 
ley  by  and  by. 

The  last  of  October  the  weather  began  to  stiffen,  and 
several  nights  ice  formed,  once  or  twice  an  inch  in  thick 
ness  ;  but  notwithstanding  this  the  gardens  were  still  full 
of  flowers,  which  seemed  to  bid  defiance  to  the  approach 
of  winter.  On  the  3ist  day  of  October  the  Chaplain 
had  two  flower  pots  of  full  bloom,  perpetual  roses,  on 
his  rude  table  in  his  tent,  containing  forty-seven  varie 
ties,  some  of  which  were  very  large  and  rich  beyond 
description.  After  the  lapse  of  years  the  memory  of 
them  is  still  an  inspiration  and  a  joy. 

On  the  /th  of  November  we  moved  camp  to  the  Big 
Black  river,  fourteen  miles  east  of  Vicksburg,  and  re 
lieved  Gen.  Tuttle's  command.  We  went  out  by  rail, 
and  got  fixed  up  and  comfortable  by  nightfall,  without 
any  extra  effort.  Our  location  was  a  fine  one,  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  station  and  the  river,  where  the 


158  HISTORY  OF  THE   I24TH 

enemy  burnt  the  bridges  in  their  retreat  of  the  i/th  of 
May  previous.  We  understood  this  was  to  be  our 
winter  quarters,  so  we  made  arrangements  accordingly 
from  the  first,  and  our  camp  soon  assumed  a  character 
for  convenience  and  comfort  equal  to,  if  not  surpassing 
any  other  we  ever  had.  Our  tents  were  boarded  up  and 
floored,  and  we  all  had  brick  fire-places  and  chimneys, 
with  an  abundance  of  fuel  and  the  best  of  water.  Being 
on  the  main  Jackson  road,  we  had  access  to  all  the 
country  afforded,  and  often  availed  ourselves  of  oppor 
tunities  to  add  to  our  rations.  We  remained  in  this 
camp  till  the  5th  of  April,  1864,  almost  six  months. 

The  next  day  after  reaching  Big  Black,  Col.  Sloan 
being  under  charges,  and  having  been  summoned  before 
a  court  martial,  turned  over  the  command  of  the  re^i- 

o 

ment  to  Capt  Mann,  of  company  B,  the  ranking  Cap 
tain,  not  recognizing  the  presence  of  Lieut.  Col.  Howe, 
who  was  with  the  regiment  at  the  time.  He  assumed 
that  Col.  Howe's  being  on  duty  on  a  military  commis 
sion,  which  held  sessions  from  time  to  time,  disqualified 
him  from  command  in  the  regiment ;  but  Gen.  Leggett 
immediately  issued  an  order  placing  him  in  command. 
The  next  day  several  of  the  officers  were  summoned  to 
appear  before  the  court  martial  as  witnesses. 

The  1 3th  of  November  was  a  sad  day  for  the  3d  divis 
ion,  being  the  occasion  of  General  Logan's  leave-taking, 
upon  promotion  to  another  command.  We  went  on  re 
view  in  the  forenoon,  at  the  close  of  which  he  addressed 
us  very  feelingly  for  a  few  minutes,  and  bade  us  an  affec- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  159 

tionate  good  by.  By  his  uniform  sympathy  and  kind 
ness,  his  readiness  to  aid  us  in  any  emergency,  his  well- 
recognised  ability  and  soldierly  qualities,  and  by  his 
stern,  uncompromising  and  unselfish  patriotism.  General 
Logan  had  greatly  endeared  himself  to  us  all.  We  re 
posed  almost  implicit  confidence  in  him,  both  in  camp 
and  under  fire,  and  parted  with  him  with  deep  regret, 
following  his  fortunes  thenceforth,  during  the  war  and 
subsequently,  with  a  lively  and  anxious  personal  inter 
est.  Among  all  our  commanders'  names  none  is  en 
graven  more  deeply  in  the  heart  tablets  of  "the  hundred 
and  two  dozen."  than  that  of  Maj.  Gen.  John  A.  Logan. 

From  this  time  until  February,  under  the  efficient 
command  of  Lieut.  Col.  Howe,  battalion  drill  became 
an  almost  daily  exercise.  With  very  little  fatigue 
duty  to  do,  the  time  was  at  our  disposal,  and  well  was  it 
improved.  Five  days  in  a  week,  frequently  twice  in  a 
day,  and  occasionally  three  hours  at  a  stretch,  were  we 
under  arms  in  the  field,  until  every  duty  man  became  a 
drill  expert,  and  every  officer  could  have  handled  the 
regiment  as  well  as  a  company.  The  brigade  and  divis 
ion  shared  the  spirit,  and  all  the  region  of  the  Big  Black, 
except  on  rainy  days  and  Sundays,  was  one  great,  occu 
pied  drill  ground. 

In  keeping  with  this  spirit,  G.en.  Leggett.  then  com 
manding  our  brigade,  offered  a  prize  to  the  best  drilled 
regiment,  of  twenty  days  exemption  from  fatigue  duty, 
and  to  the  regiment  which  should  perform  picket  duty 
in  the  most  vigilant  and  soldierly  manner,  of  twenty 


160  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

days  exemption  therefrom.  The  latter  we  won,  while 
the  3 1st  Illinois  won  the  former,  the  trial  drill  being  had 
before  Gen.  McPherson,  and  other  officers  on  the  25th 
inst.  Our  success  and  our  failure  alike  stimulated  us,  and 
from  that  hour  we  entered  the  lists  against  all  competi 
tors,  determined  to  carry  off  the  honors,  whatever  they 
might  be. 

About  this  time  an  institution  sprang  into  existence 
among  us,  which  will  always  be  remembered  with  lively 
satisfaction  by  all  who  shared  in  its  blessings.  It  was 
christened  "Ihe  Officers'  Mess. "  Previously  we  had 
messed,  we  hardly  knew  how ;  Col.  Sloan  had  messed 
by  himself;  Lieut.  Col.  Howe,  Chaplain  Howard  and 
Capt.  Field  had  messed  together  for  a  time ;  the  Sur 
geons  messed  at  the  hospital ;  the  Quartermaster  at  the 
corral,  and  the  company  officers  with  their  commands, 
or  united  by  twos  and  threes,  as  the  case  might  be. 
Our  pretentious  mess-chests  of  the  regulation  pattern 
had  been  long  ago  spilled  out  by  the  exigencies  of  our 
transportation,  and  we  could  boast  of  but  very  little  in 
the  way  of  real  culinary  comfort  It  became  apparent 
that  by  clubbing  together  we  could  have  our  cooking 
apparatus  carried,  and  so  have  far  better  facilities,  and 
could  run  a  large  institution  for  less  money  than  so 
many  smaller  ones,  and  there  being  no  impediment  in 
our  way  in  the  shape  of  personal  dislikes  and  hostilities, 
we  concluded  to  turn  our  separate  "kits"  in  together, 
and  try  a  regimental  mess.  Some  went  into  it  with  mis 
givings,  but  it  ultimately  brought  in  every  officer  in  the 
regiment  save  Quartermaster  Reece,  who  was  so  situated 


.  ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  161 

with  the  corral  that  it  seemed  almost  impossible  for  him 
to  leave  it. 

Sergeant  Major  Richards  took  charge  of  the  institu 
tion  at  the  first,  with  Justus  Dodge,  of  company  E,  de 
tailed  as  cook.  Occasionally  Chaplain  Howard  and 
others  would  relieve  Richards  for  a  time,  make  the  re 
quisitions,  collect  the  accounts  and  settle  the  bills,  but 
Dodge  remained  cook  nearly  as  long  as  the  mess  ex 
isted,  which  was  until  we  reached  Montgomery,  Ala 
bama,  in  April,  1865,  and  it  was  broken  up  by  our 
being  gratuitously  quartered  upon  the  citizens,  at  their 
special  request. 

Many  were  the  pleasant  hours  and  festive  occasions  of 
the  old  mess  table,  and  sweet  the  fellowship  we  shared 
during  the  remaining  months  of  our  sojourn  together, 
and  much  of  the  esprit  dc  corps  of  our  regiment  was 
doubtless  owing  to  our  mess  table  discussions  and  after 
dinner  talks.  As  we  look  back  now,  after  a  lapse  of 
fifteen  years,  we  can  almost  see  those  noble  men  file 
into  our  mess  tent  at  meal  time,  and  seat  themselves 
again  as  they  used  to  on  the  Big  Black,  and  at  Vicks- 
burg,  and  New  Orleans.  How  the  individualities  of 
men  stand  out  at  "feeding  time."  Some  would  take 
their  seats  in  silence,  and  with  only  a  nod  to  the  right- 
hand  man  ;  others,  and  of  that  number  was  Capt.  Field, 
would  speak  pleasantly  to  every  man  near,  and  secure  a 
reply ;  some  would  commence  eating  immediately  and 
look  hungrily  over  the  board,  as  though  there  was 
danger  of  "  short  commons  "  under  the  administration 


162  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

of  Richards  and  Dodge,  while  others,  not  seeming  to 
care  for  their  food,  would  leave  their  plates  untouched 
for  a  time  and  discuss  the  last  drill,  some  army  incident, 
the  current  rumors,  or  the  latest  news.  Capt.  N.  H. 
Pratt,  the  stateliest  gentleman  of  us  all,  would  carefully 
spread  his  handkerchief  upon  his  knee,  sitting  a  little 
remote  from  the  table,  and  go  about  his  meal  with  all 
the  precision  of  a  dress  parade,  while  Richards  would  be 
full  of  apologies  if  the  fare  was  scanty,  or  look  his  ex 
pectations  if  it  was  unusually  good.  And  then  the 
ringing  jokes  and  hearty  laughter  around  that  board, 
how  their  waves  ebb  and  flow  still.  Enshrined  in  our 
memories,  we  all  unite  to-day  in  saying,  "  All  hail  !  to 
our  officers'  mess." 

Another  thing  achieved  upon  the  Big  Black  at  this 
time  was  a  regimental  meeting  house.  As  the  winter 
forbade  service  in  the  open  air,  this  had  come  to  be  a 
religious,  if  not  a  military  necessity,  so  the  boys  went 
to  work  with  a  will,  rolled  up  a  commodious  log  body, 
covered  it  with  condemned  flags,  which  the  Chaplain 
had  secured,  floored  and  seated  it,  and  put  in  a  good 
brick  fireplace,  and,  behold,  we  had  a  desirable  place  of 
worship,  which  very  many  most  richly  enjoyed.  A 
series  of  meetings  was  held  in  it,  which  were  largely 
attended  and  productive  of  much  spiritual  good,  and  we 
used  it  for  our  officers'  gatherings  while  planning  for  our 
subsequent  drill  victories.  It  was  so  much  of  an  insti 
tution  that  upon  moving  to  Vicksburg  in  the  spring  we 
reproduced  it  in  the  form  of  a  chapel  tent. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  163 

Our  brigade  commander.  Gen.  M.  D.  Leggett,  for 
merly  of  the  78th  Ohio,  in  the  2d  brigade  of  our  divis 
ion,  was  now  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  division, 
and  Gen.  M.  F.  Force,  formerly  of  the  2Oth  Ohio,  also 
in  our  division,  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  our 
brigade.  These  were  both  officers  of  sterling  worth, 
and  became  very  popular  with  their  commands.  Capt. 
Mann,  of  company  B,  was  promoted  Major  of  our  regi 
ment,  and  mustered  December  i8th,  and  this  brings  us 
to  the  close  of  the  eventful  year  1863. 


164  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Col.   Sloan. — Our  prize  drill. — The  proud   "Excelsior  Regiment. "- 
"  Veteranizing. " — Recruiting  detail. 

AS  HAS  BEEN  previously  stated,  the  regiment, 
both  officers  and  men,  had  been  greatly  dissatisfied 
with  the  command  of  our  Colonel,  Thomas  J.  Sloan. 
This  had  broken  out  at  Vista  Plantation,  in  Louisiana, 
at  Clinton,  while  on  the  march  to  Vicksburg,  and  during 
the  siege.  Between  him  and  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  a  very 
bitter  feeling  had  sprung  up,  and  there  was  apparently 
no  way  to  allay  it.  Reece  and  others  had  vainly  tried 
to  bring  about  a  reconciliation,  but  right  or  wrong,  the 
Colonel  persisted  in  his  course,  urging  that  if  he  did  not 
it  would  be  yielding  to  an  inferior  officer.  Col.  Howe 
at  one  time  tendered  his  resignation,  in  order  to  escape 
the  petty  tyranny  under  which  he  maintained  he  was 
suffering,  and  the  Colonel  promptly  accepted  it ;  but  it 
was  returned  unaccepted  from  superior  headquarters,  in 
which  it  was  very  well  known  Col.  Sloan  was  no  favor 
ite.  In  fact  there  were  several  General  officers  who 
entertained  for  him  a  most  cordial  dislike,  while  on  the 
contrary,  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  was  held  in  high  esteem. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  165 

The  Colonel's  outranking  some  other  officers  may  have 
had  something  to  do  with  this,  through  continual  repre 
sentations  from  them  to  commanding  Generals,  but  that 
would  not  change  the  fact.  As  might  have  been  ex 
pected,  when  Lieut  Col.  Howe  found  he  could  not 
escape  from  the  vexations  of  his  position  by  resignation, 
but  rather  that  he  was  relied  upon  to  assist  in  relieving 
the  command  of  the  presence  of  Col.  Sloan,  he  pro 
ceeded  in  the  matter  of  an  investigation. 

A  court  martial  was  convened  at  Vicksburg,  Novem 
ber  5th,  before  which  the  Colonel  was  summoned. 
Upon  appearing  he  peremptorily  challenged  Gen. 
Maltby,  who  was  a  member,  and  the  court  dissolved. 
He  probably  thought  that  would  dispose  of  the  case, 
but  it  only  aggravated  it.  Orders  were  immediately 
issued  convening  another  court,  with  the  additional  order 
for  him  to  turn  over  the  command  of  the  regiment, 
which  he  had  not  been  directed  to  do  before.  So,  on 
the  8th  of  November,  the  day  after  we  reached  the  Big 
Black,  he  turned  over  the  command  to  Capt.  Mann,  of 
company  B,  as  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  who  was  the 
ranking  Captain.  It  occasioned  no  surprise  that  he  did 
not  recognize  the  presence  of  Lieut.  Col.  Howe,  and 
simply  leave  the  regiment  in  his  hands,  for  he  very  well 
knew  the  Lieutenant  Colonel  was  near  the  bottom  of  the 
whole  trouble.  But  it  would  have  been  far  better  for 
him  to  do  so,  however  humiliating,  for  that  act  consti 
tuted  a  grave  military  offense,  in  perfect  keeping  with 
others  complained  of,  and  hastened  his  fall. 


166  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

On  the  loth  of  November  the  court  convened,  and 
Lieut.  Col.  Howe  testified.  Sessions  were  held  from 
day  to  day,  and  other  officers  of  the  regiment  were  ex 
amined  as  witnesses.  At  last  the  court  dissolved, 
leaving  us  in  comparative  ignorance  of  its  finding, 
though  we  knew  the  Colonel  did  not  return  to  resume 
command,  and  Madam  Rumor  said  he  was  to  be  dis 
missed  the  service.  So  the  matter  stood  until  the  I5th 
of  January,  1864,  when  an  order  of  dismissal  was  re 
ceived  and  read  the  following  day  on  dress  parade, 
taking  effect  the  I5th  of  December  previous. 

Thus  terminated  the  connection  of  Col.  Sloan  with 
our  regiment.  He  immediately  went  to  Washington 
and  laid  his  case  before  Judge  Advocate  General  Holt, 
for  examination,  who  reported  favorably  upon  it,  and 
his  dismissal  was  revoked,  with  permission  to  resume 
his  command  in  case  the  regiment  was  entitled  to  a  Co 
lonel.  But  our  numbers  had  been  so  thinned  by  the 
service  that  we  were  below  the  minimum  entitled  to  that 
office,  and  he  was  never  reinstated. 

Col.  Sloan  had  some  very  warm  friends  in  the  regi 
ment,  and  most  of  us  were  sad  at  his  leaving,  or  more 
especially  at  the  manner  of  it.  We  would  much  rather  it 
were  otherwise.  But  it  was  best  as  it  was,  and  a  sense 
of  relief  was  experienced  at  the  termination  of  the  con 
troversy  that  had  disturbed  us  so  long.  He  was  a  man 
of  considerable  ability,  most  certainly  was  brave,  and  to 
some  extent  was  noble  and  generous.  But  he  was  im- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  167 

pulsive,  conceited  and  dictatorial.  Having  taken  a  po 
sition,  however  hastily,  he  seemed  to  feel  under  obliga 
tions  to  himself  to  maintain  it  at  whatever  hazard,  and 
could  brook  no  opposition  from  any  source.  He  also 
carried  his  personal  feelings  into  his  official  intercourse 
in  a  manner  prejudicial  to  the  service  as  well  as  himself, 
and  descended  to  little  vindictive  acts  which  illy  became 
his  rank  and  station.  Said  one  who  understood  him 
well,  "The  great  trouble  with  him  was  that  he  did  not 
understand  human  nature,  and  tried  to  enforce  his 
school  room  rules  and  regulations  in  his  regiment,  which 
rebelled  at  being  treated  like  a  parcel  of  school  boys." 
He  felt  at  leaving  that  he  had  been  sacrificed,  which 
was,  to  some  extent,  true,  for  without  doubt  the  case 
was  decided  against  him  before  the  trial  was  begun,  as 
he  was  told  it  certainly  would  be,  in  time  to  have  saved 
himself.  As  we  look  at  it  now,  at  this  distance,  we 
sum  it  all  up  in  this,  that  while  he  did  not  really  deserve 
to  be  dismissed,  the  service  demanded  that  he  should 
be,  and  military  necessities  are  inexorable  and  merciless, 
as  more  than  he  had  occasion  to  prove. 

The  month  of  January,  1864,  will  always  be  a  memo 
rable  one  in  the  history  of  the  regiment,  on  account  01 
the  excitement  and  glory  of  our  prize  drills,  and  win 
ning  the  proud  distinction  of  being  the  ''Bannen Regi 
ment"  of  the  division.  After  the  prize  drills  of  our 
brigade  in  November,  Gen.  Leggett,  then  promo 
ted  to  the  command  of  the  division,  issued  the  following 
order : 


168  HISTORY  OF  THE  12 


"  HEADQUARTERS  THIRD  DIVISION, 

I/TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
VICKSBURG,    Miss.,    Dec.    3d,    1863. 

General  Orders  No.  4.] 

'  '  The  General  commanding  the  3d  division,  desiring  to 
bring  the  troops  of  his  command  to  the  highest  possible 
condition  of  drill  and  discipline,  and  believing  that  every 
soldier,  at  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  of  enlistment. 
should  be  sufficiently  conversant  with  the  tactics  to  ma 
neuver  correctly  a  company  or  battalion,  proposes  the 
following  as  an  inducement  to  drill  and  efficiency  . 

"  He  will  provide  two  battle  flags,  one  blue  and  the 
other  red  —  the  blue  for  the  infantry,  and  the  red  for  the 
artillery.  On  each  flag  will  be  inscribed  in  silver  letters, 
"  3d  Division,  i/th  Army  Corps,  Excelsior." 

'  '  The  blue  flag  will  be  presented  to  the  regiment  of  the 
division  which,  in  battalion  drill,  soldierly  appearance, 
condition  of  camp,  discipline  and  all  those  qualities 
which  characterize  the  efficient,  soldierly  and  model 
regiment,  shall  present  the  best  claim  to  the  title  of 
''Excelsior  Regiment  of  the  3d  Division." 

'  '  The  regiment  that  wins  this  flag  will  not  be  permitted 
to  take  it  from  the  division,  and  will  be  required  to  hold 
it  subject  to  being  taken  by  any  other  regiment  of  the 
division  that  may,  at  any  subsequent  drill  and  inspection, 
be  deemed  more  worthy  of  carrying  it. 

"  The  red  flag  will  be  given  to  the  artillery  of  the  divis 
ion  on  precisely  the  same  terms  as  the  blue  flag  is  to  the 
infantry. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


"  In  determining  the  battery  entitled  to  it  account  will 
be  taken  of  the  drill,  the  condition  of  camp,  the  personal 
appearance  and  discipline  of  the  men,  the  condition  of 
the  horses,  harnesses,  wagons,  guns,  gun-carriages,  and 
everything  pertaining  to  the  efficiency  and  soldierly 
appearance  of  the  battery. 

"  The  first  trial  day  will  be  designated  as  soon  as  the 
flags  arrive,  after  which  any  regiment  or  battery  desiring 
to  compete  for  the  flag  of  its  arm  of  the  service,  can  do 
so  by  giving  five  days'  notice  to  the  regiment  or  battery 
holding  it,  and  to  these  headquarters. 

•'  The  regiment  or  battery  carrying  these  flags  will  be 
designated,  "The  Excelsior  Regiment,"  and  "The 
Excelsior  Battery." 

4 '  These  flags  will  only  be  carried  on  parade  and  in  bat 
tle,  and  either  of  them  will  be  taken  possession  of  by 
the  division  commander  whenever  in  camp,  on  the 
march,  or  on  the  field  of  battle,  the  regiment  or  battery 
carrying  it  shall  become  unworthy  of  the  distinction 
given  by  its  possession. 

By  order  of 

"BRIG.  GEN.  LEGGETT. 
"J.  C.  DOUGLAS,  Ass't.   Adft,  Gen" 

This  very  naturally  raised  the  pulses  of  the  men  to 
fever  heat  throughout  the  division,  and  every  regiment 
put  forth  a  heroic  effort  to  win  the  banner.  Among  so 
many,  and  some  of  them  as  fine  bodies  of  men  as  the 
service  could  boast,  it  seemed  almost  impossible  that  we 


170  HISTORY  OF  THE    124™ 

should  succeed,  but  our  noble  men,  from  the  highest 
officer  down,  seemed  animated  by  one  common  impulse 
to  triumph.  Our  officers  held  meetings  night  after 
night  in  our  meeting  house,  and  discussed  the  matter, 
laying  plans  so  as  to  cover  every  possible  contingency, 
and  every  day  saw  a  new  blow  struck,  or  an  advance 
step  taken  toward  the  desired  consummation.  Come 
upon  us  whoever  might,  and  where  they  chose,  on  duty 
or  dress  parade,  in  camp  or  company  quarters,  in  the 
hospital  or  at  the' corral,  everything  was  simply  perfect, 
everywhere  and  always. 

The  Quartermaster  and  his  efficient  Sergeant,  Durley, 
entered  into  the  struggle  with  as  much  zest  as  any  in 
the  regiment,  and  contributed  greatly  to  our  success. 
They  drew  surplus  clothing,  and  had  every  man  not  only 
newly  clothed  but  fitted  throughout ;  no  slouch  coats 
and  bagging  breeches  would  do  for  them.  Caps  were 
procured  by  telegraph  from  Memphis,  and  upon  the 
trial  drill  days  each  soldier  appeared  in  new  clothes, 
white  gloves  and  paper  collar,  as  though  just  emerged 
from  a  band-box. 

The  plan  of  the  trial  drills  was,  that  the  brigade  should 
drill  in  order,  from  1st  to  3d,  on  separate  days,  and  the 
three  victorious  regiments  should  then  meet  and  drill 
against  each  other.  The  same  committee  was  to  decide 
in  the  several  brigades,  and  also  in  the  final  contest. 
Accordingly  on  the  2Oth  of  January,  the  1st  brigade 
drilled,  and  the  1 24th  won.  The  next  day  the  2d  bri- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  171 

gade  drilled,  and  the  /8th  Ohio  won  ;  this  was  General 
Leggett's  old  regiment,  and  the  one  he  doubtless  ex 
pected  would  win  the  banner.  On  the  22d  the  3d  bri 
gade  drilled,  and  the  i/th  Illinois,  Gen.  Ross'  old  regi 
ment,  won.  Our  competitors  were  now  before  us. 

The  following  is  the  committee's  report  of  the  contest 
in  our  own  brigade: 

"VicKSBURG,    Miss.,  Jan.  2ist,   1864. 

''The  committee  appointed  to  decide  upon  the  merits 
of  the  different  regiments  comprising  the  1st  Brigade, 
3d  Division,  i/th  Army  Corps,  as  regards  their  profi 
ciency  in  battalion  movements,  manual  of  arms,  clean 
liness  of  camp,  and  soldierly  appearance  of  the  men, 
feel  sensibly  the  difficulty  under  which  they  labor  when 
all  did  well,  and  all  are  entitled  to  great  credit. 

1  'It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  committee  that  the 
1 24th  Illinois  Infantry  is  entitled  to  the  proud  name  of 
the  "Excelsior  Regiment"  of  the  1st  Brigade.  Both 
officers  and  men  deserve  the  greatest  credit  for  neat  and 
cleanly  appearance  of  their  persons,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  camp,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Howe,  commanding  the  regi 
ment,  for  the  high  state  of  discipline  and  drill  to  which 
he  has  brought  it. 

"The  3 1st  Illinois  Infantry,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
committee,  came  next.  The  bad  habit  of  a  great  number  of 
the  men  in  breaking  the  alignment  of  the  ranks  to  avoid 
small  puddles  of  water,  thereby  causing  the  loss  of  step 


172  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


and  confusion  in  the  ranks,  is  much  to  be  censured,  and 
told  very  much  against  them.  The  committee  found 
the  camp  and  quarters  of  the  regiment  in  excellent  con 
dition.  Lieut.  Col.  Pearson  is  deserving  of  great  credit 
for  his  manner  of  giving  commands,  which  were  more 
correctly  given  than  by  any  other  commanding  officer. 

"The  45th  regiment  Illinois  Infantry  lacked  steadi 
ness  in  maneuvering,  but  did  splendidly.  Maj.  Duer, 
for  the  short  time  that  he  has  been  in  command,  shows 
an  aptness  for  maneuvering  a  battalion,  which  promises 
to  be  of  great  service  to  the  regiment.  The  men  looked 
well  and  the  camp  was  in  fine  condition.  The  regiment 
bears  a  name,  of  which  all  connected  with  it  should  be 
proud,  and  by  close  attention  to  drilling  may  yet  be  the 
"Excelsior  Regiment"  of  the  brigade. 

"The  noble,  glorious  old  2Oth  Illinois  labored  under 
many  disadvantages,  which  showed  against  it.  The 
regiment  should  aspire  to  carry  the  "Excelsior  Banner," 
which  would  be  in  keeping  with  its  reputation  for  gal 
lantry  and  bravery  in  the  field. 

"The  1 24th  must  look  well  to  its  laurels,  and  should 
it  be  so  fortunate  as  to  carry  the  Division  Banner,  see 
to  it  that  it  never  disgraces  the  reputation  of  the  3d, 
better  known  as  Logan's  old  Division. 

"Gen.  Force  cannot  but  be  proud  of  his  Brigade,  and 
must  feel  an  abiding  confidence  in  men  who  are  so 
highly  disciplined. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  173 

''To  Gen.  Leggett  and  his  staff,  and  Gen.  Force  and 
staff,  the  committee  return  their  sincere  thanks  for  the 
many  courtesies  that  were  extended  to  them. 

"Signed, 

"JAMES   H.   COATS,  Col.   llth   111.  Infantry. 
"A.  WALKER  WEBBER,  Col.  1st  Miss.  Infantry. 
"J.  C.  ABERCROMBIE,  Lt.  Col.  llht  la.  Infantry. 
"JOSEPH  STOCKTON,  Lt.  Col.  72d  111.  Infantry. 
C.  TOWN,  Lt.  and  A.  D.  C." 


The  next  day  after  the  drill  of  the  3rd  Brigade  —  the 
long  to  be  remembered  23d  of  January  —  all  were  astir 
early,  and  in  their  best  condition.  At  half-past  eight  the 
whole  regiment  embarked  on  a  special  train  for  Vicks- 
burg,  in  high  glee.  Not  a  man  who  could  get  away 
was  left  behind,  whether  he  was  to  participate  in  the 
drill  or  not.  Upon  reaching  the  city  the  line  was 
formed  and  the  regiment  marched  to  Gen.  Leggett's, 
and  subsequently  to  Gen.  McPherson's  headquarters, 
and  saluted  them.  We  then  marched  to  the  drill  ground. 
about  two  miles  below  the  city,  stacked  arms  and  ate 
our  dinner,  resting  till  the  other  regiments  arrived. 

The  drill  began  at  I  o'clock.  The  weather  was  like 
June,  and  everything  propitious.  The  y8th  Ohio  drilled 
first,  the  i/th  Illinois  next,  and  we  last,  giving  us  there 
by  a  slight  advantage.  Each  regiment  had  forty 
minutes  for  drill.  The  ground  was  carefully  guarded 
by  the  2Oth  Ohio,  the  guards  being  stationed  about 
twenty  feet  apart.  This  was  absolutely  necessary  on 


174  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

account  of  the  immense  crowd.  When  the  drilling  was 
ended  the  regiments  were  formed  on  three  sides  of  a 
square,  the  I24th  fronting  the  open  side  where  the  com 
mittee  and  Generals  were  stationed.  The  award  having 
been  made,  Gen.  McPherson  advanced,  and  in  a  short, 
but  very  happy  and  complimentary  speech,  presented 
the  glorious  old  "Hundred  and  two  dozen"  with  the 
coveted  and  nobly  won  '  'Excelsior  Banner. "  The  other 
regiments  then  gave  us  three  rousing  cheers  as  the  "Ex 
celsior  Regiment."  and  officers  crowded  around  to  con 
gratulate  us.  We  cheered  our  gallant  competitors  in 
return,  knowing  that  we  had  barely  won,  for  their  drill 
ing  had  been  our  especial  admiration.  All  then  march 
ed  back  to  the  city,  our  bands  playing  and  banners 
proudly  flying,  where  we  saluted  our  Division  Com 
mander  once  more,  and  embarked  for  the  Big  Black,  as 
proud  a  regiment  as  the  service  could  boast.  Upon 
reaching  home  we  found  the  2Oth  Illinois  in  line  to  re 
ceive  us,  as  an  escort  of  honor,  sharing  with  us  in  the 
triumph  of  our  Brigade. 

The  following  is  the  report  of  the  committee  of  award, 
carefully  preserved  by  Reece,  for  which  every  partici 
pant  in  the  victory  of  that  day,  when  he  comes  to  read 
it  again,  will  heartily  thank  him.  It  will  be  observed 
that  the  report  is  issued  as  a  General  Order,  series  of 
1864,  bearing  date  six  days  subsequent  to  the  drill, 
which  gives  it  additional  value  : 


ILLINOIS  INFANTHY.  175 


"HEADQUARTERS  THIRD  DIVISION, 

I7TH  AKMY  CORPS, 
VICKSBURG,    Miss.,   Jan.    29th,  1864. 

"General  Order  No.    2.] 

"The  following  report  of  the  committee  elected  to 
award  the  "Excelsior  Flag,"  is  published  for  the  inform 
ation  of  all  concerned : 

" VICKSBURG,    Miss.,  Jan.  23d,  1864. 

"In  deciding  between  the  I24th  regiment  Illinois  In 
fantry,  ./Sth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  i/th  Illinois  Infantry, 
the  committee  had  a  difficult  and  unpleasant  task  to  per 
form,  as  in  their  estimation  all  deserved  an  'Excelsior 
Banner. '  It  was  hard  to  decide  between  troops  so  well 
drilled  in  the  school  of  the  battalion,  and  manual  of 
arms  as  those  which  appeared  before  them.  But  one 
banner  was  to  be  given,  and  no  other  choice  was  left 
them  but  to  decide  between  the  brave  competitors. 

"The  1 24th  Illinois  was  the  unanimous  choice  of  the 
committee.  Their  alignments  were  as  near  perfect  as 
the  nature  of  the  grounds  would  admit.  In  wheeling 
into  line 'the  distances  were  correctly  estimated  by  the 
company  officers.  The  '  charge  bayonets '  on  the 
double-quick  was  splendidly  done.  The  steady  line 
they  kept  before  an  imaginary  foe,  it  is  to  be  hoped  will 
only  be  excelled  when  they  see  the  enemy  in  front. 

"The  /8th  Ohio  did  gloriously,  and  surpassed  the 
1 24th  in  the  manual  of  arms. 


176  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


"The  i /th  Illinois,  true  and  tried,  did  fully  as  well  as 
could  be  expected  of  them  under  the  circumstances. 
Their  'right  about'  was  splendidly  done.  All  did  well. 
The  cheers  which  greeted  the  successful  competitors, 
and  which  were  so  heartily  responded  to,  showed  with 
what  friendly  feelings  the  trial  has  been  conducted. 

"Gen.  Leggett,  commanding  the  division,  and  Gen 
erals  Force  and  Maltby,  and  Col.  Potts,  commanding 
brigades,  may  well  be  proud  of  the  honor  of  command 
ing  such  a  noble  body  of  troops.  No  division  in  the 
camp  bears  a  nobler  record  than  the  3d,  of  the  i/th 
Army  Corps.  With  such  brave  men  to  lead  them,  and 
with  men  ever  willing  to  follow,  they  will  gain  for  them 
selves  more  glory  and  honor  in  the  future. 

"  Let  the  spirit  of  emulation  then  be  kept  up  ;  let  all 
strive  to  see  who  will  or  who  will  not  keep  the  '  Excel 
sior  Banner,'  having  in  view  that  all  they  may  do  is  for 
their  own  credit,  their  country's  good,  and  for  the  dear 
old  Stars  and  Stripes. 

"The  committee  have  given  their  decision  without 
any  partiality  or  favor  ;  they  judged  only  of  what  they 
saw  before  them. 

"In  closing  their  duties  they  trust  that  these 
brave  men  mav  reao  the  benefits  of  their  work,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  177 


ever  be  proud  of  having  belonged  to  the  glorious  3d 
division. 

"Signed, 

"JAMES  H.  COATS,  Col.  llth  111.  Infantry. 
"A.  WATSON  WEBBER,  Col.  1st  Miss.  Infantry. 
"J.  C.  ABERCROMBIE,  Lt.  Col.  llth  Iowa  Inf'ty. 
"•JOSEPH  STOCKTON,  Lt.  Col.  72d  111.  Infantry. 
«O.  C.  TOWN,  Lt.  and  A.  D.  C. 
By  order  of 

"BRIG.  GEN.  LEGGETT. 
"J.  C.  DOUGLAS,  Ass't.  Adft.  Gen. 

The  next  day,  which  was  Sunday,  our  beautiful  prize 
banner  was  borne  upon  dress  parade,  and  our  brigade 
band  came  over  and  played  for  us.  Lieut.  Col.  Howe 
made  us  a  speech  after  the  parade  was  dismissed,  and 
we  rested  for  a  time  upon  our  laurels,  "  the  observed  of 
all  observers. " 

Previous  to  this  time  the  question  of  re^enlistment 
had  become  an  absorbing  one  to  all  those  organizations 
whose  term  of  service  would  expire  the  following  sum 
mer,  among  which  were  all  our  brigade  excepting  our 
regiment.  The  government  had  offered  a  large  bounty 
to  every  soldier  who  should  re-enlist  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war,  or  "veteranize,"  as  it  was  called,  and 
to  each  organization,  three-fourths  of  whom  should  re- 
enlist,  a  prolonged  visit  home  in  a  body  by  the  veter 
ans,  and  the  assurance  of  retaining  its  organization. 
Little  by  little  the  re-enlistment  fever  rose  under  the 


178  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

home  and  bounty  pressure,  added  to  the  latent  patriot 
ism  of  the  men,  and  the  prospective  early  close  of  the 
war,  until  nearly  every  organization  in  our  command 
which  had  a  right  to  '' veteranize  "  had  done  so.  On 
the  i  ith  of  January  the  2Oth,  3ist  and  45th  Illinois  com 
pleted  their  re-enlistment,  and  had  a  jollification  over  it, 
marching  to  brigade  headquarters  at  night,  with  torches 
and  music,  where  they  were  congratulated  by  General 
Force.  They  were  the  first  in  our  division  to  "  veter 
anize,"  and  rejoiced  greatly  over  the  assurance  of  re 
taining  their  organizations  and  fame,  as  well  they  might. 
But  other  regiments  in  the  command  had  previously 
done  so,  and  some  had  already  gone  home  on  regimen 
tal  furlough,  the  I4th  Wisconsin,  which  was  among  the 
first,  having  left  Vicksburg  for  Madison,  on  the  3d  of 
January. 

Rumors  began  to  be  circulated  that  our  command  was 
to  be  re-organized,  and  only  veteran  regiments  retained 
in  it.  This  put  us  at  once  upon  the  anxious  seat,  as  it 
would  leave  us  out  in  the  cold,  and  we  had  become  so 
much  attached  to  our  old  companions  in  arms  that  we 
would  have  re-enlisted  for  the  sake  of  remaining  with 
them,  had  we  been  permitted  to  do  so.  Our  officers 
believing  the  regiment  would  "veteranize"  if  it  had 
the  opportunity,  put  forth  strenuous  efforts  to  secure 
the  privilege,  but  they  were  of  no  avail.  None  of  the 
regiments  of  1862  were  included  in  veteran  orders. 

The  returning  regiments  were  authorized  to  recruit 
while  absent  on  veteran  furlough,  thereby  filling  up 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  179 

their  depleted  ranks,  and  in  some  instances  swelling 
their  numbers  to  the  maximum  again,  and  affording  re 
lief  to  very  many  officers  who  had  been  awaiting  pro 
motion.  To  guard  against  too  great  disparity  in  num 
bers  between  them  and  us  upon  their  return,  and 
to  secure  whatever  we  might  in  the  way  of  promotion, 
Lieut.  Col.  Howe  obtained  an  order  to  that  effect,  and 
on  the  27th  of  January  started  two  commissioned  and 
eleven  non-commissioned  officers  home  on  recruiting 
service.  Capt.  E.  C.  Raymond,  of  company  A,  and 
Lieut.  H.  J.  Brockway,  of  company  D,  were  the  com 
missioned  officers,  and  after  completing  the  service  upon 
which  he  was  sent,  Capt.  Raymond  was  detached  at 
Springfield,  Illinois,  and  never  joined  us  for  duty  again. 


180  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Marching  orders. — Eastward,  ho! — Gen.  Sherman  in  command. — 
''Uncle  Johnny  Lyle." — Line  of  battle. — Jackson  again. — The  min 
ister's  mule. — Brandon. — "Uncle  John  trades  mules." — Officers 
mess  in  clover. — Morton  and  Hillsborough. — Houses  catch  fire. — A 
night  on  a  corduroy  road. — Decatur. — Chunk ey. — Mule  teams  guard 
a  bridge. — Meridian. — Some  destruction.— Incidents. — The  back 
track. — Diverge  at  Hillsborough. — About  the  ''Banner." — Better 
rations. — Mules  in  plenty. — Canton. — Turn  over  the  animals. — 
Bill  of  fare. — A  mail. — Adjutant  Smith  and  party  routed. — Home 
with  a  shout.— The  Quartermaster's  department  slightly  ahead. — 
Negro  accompaniment. — The  name  of  the  expedition. 

MARCHING  ORDERS  had  been  in  the  air  for  some 
days,  but  on  the  2d  of  February  they  appeared 
on  paper,  and  were  read  on  dress  parade,  to  take  effect 
at  an  hour's  notice.  The  next  morning,  at  eight  o'clock, 
a  brigade  of  cavalry  came  into  camp,  and  halted  till 
about  noon,  when  they  commenced  to  cross  the  Big 
Black.  Previous  to  their  crossing,  the  infantry  began  to 
arrive  in  large  numbers,  and  stack  arms  on  cur  drill 
ground.  Among  them,  later,  came  the  2d  and  3d  bri 
gades  of  our  division,  who  stacked  arms  immediately  in 
front  of  our  camp,  making  it  pleasant  and  lively  for  us. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  181 


In  the  mean  time  our  teams  were  in  order  and  wagons 
loaded  up,  and  we  were  ready  for  the  command  to  '  'fall 
in,"  leaving  our  tents  all  standing,  and  the  camp  in 
command  of  Capt.  Newland,  of  company  D,  whose  wife 
had  just  come  to  pay  him  a  visit.  For  about  half  a  day 
we  enjoyed  the  rare  luxury  of  being  on  a  march  without 
having  started,  while  we  waited  for  the  cavalry  to  cross. 
The  weather  was  fine,  and  the  continually  shifting  scene 
exciting  to  an  extreme.  To  add  to  it,  one  of  the  pon 
toon  boats  sunk  under  the  passing  cavalry  train,  and  the 
river  banks  were  lined  with  the  crowds  watching  the  re 
pairs.  As  the  sun  began  rapidly  to  decline,  we  won 
dered  if  we  should  move  at  all,  but  the  repairs  were  at 
length  completed,  the  cavalry  were  over,  and  winding 
across  the  bottom  eastward,  and  drum  after  drum  said 
to  the  different  infantry  regiments,  "fall  in."  Evidently 
there  was  a  controlling  mind  somewhere  bringing  order 
out  of  this  human  confusion,  and  the  scampering  across 
the  grounds  from  every  direction,  in  response,  to  the 
eloquence  of  the  long  roll,  was  one  of  the  kaleidoscopic 
pictures  of  the  day.  About  six  o'clock  our  drums  beat, 
we  "fell  in,"  "shouldered  arms,"  and  took  up  our  line 
of  march  eastward,  across  the  Big  Black,  going  about 
five  miles  into  a  pleasant  camp,  where  rails  were  plenty, 
and  introducing  ourselves  to  our  "shelter  tents."  Some 
of  the  boys  were  badly  daubed  with  mud  coming  through 
the  miry  bottom,  but  all  were  in  the  best  of  spirits. 
Quartermaster  Reece  had  taken  his  usual  precaution  in 
selecting  teams  for  the  expedition,  and  it  was  well  that 


182  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


he  had,  for  the  road  from  the  river  to  our  camp  was 
lined  with  wagons  stuck  in  the  mud.  But  ours,  as  al 
ways  when  possible,  came  through  safely  and  early. 

We  found  that  our  force  consisted  of  two  divisions  of 
our  own  Army  Corps,  under  its  gallant  commander, 
Gen.  McPherson,  and  two  of  the  i6th,  under  S.  A. 
Hurlbut,  with  Winslow's  cavalry  brigade,  the  whole 
being  under  the  command  of  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman. 
Reposing  the  utmost  confidence  in  the  .commanding 
officers,  and  being  with  old  fighting  comrades  again,  we 
were  ready  for  almost  anything  in  our  line,  and  hoped 
to  be  able  to  strike  a  blow  at  the  heart  of  "secession" 
before  our  return. 

We  had  a  new  recruit  with  us  on  this  expedition,  not 
borne  upon  the  rolls,  in  the  person  of  John  Lyle,  of 
Kewanee,  an  old  patriot,  who  had  come  down  only  a 
day  or  two  before  our  starting.  ''to  see  the  boys,"  and 
visit  his  relatives  in  the  regiment.  He  was  familiarly 
called  "Uncle  John,"  and  was  quite  a  favorite  among 
those  who  knew  him.  The  Quartermaster  took  great 
interest  in  him,  and  when  it  was  found  that  he  was  wil 
ling  to  go  with  us,  if  he  was  permitted  to  do  so,  offered 
to  render  him  any  assistance  in  his  power,  and  assigned 
him  to  the  Sutler's  wagon  with  Charlie  Wilson,  telling 
him  to  ride  until  the  boys  could  "borrow  a  mule"  for 
him.  So  he  mounted  the  wagon  all  right,  and  started 
with  the  train,  but  before  getting  far  he  began  to  be 
uneasy,  and  told  Charlie  he  could  not  ride  and  see  the 
mules  draw  so  hard,  therefore  he  would  walk  to  make 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  183 


it  easier  for  them.  Charlie  told  him  to  sit  still,  that  it 
was  nothing  strange  to  see  mules  flounder  about  so, 
that  they  were  all  right  as  long  as  their  ears  were  in 
sight,  etc,  etc.,  but  dear  uncle  John's  sympathies  with 
the  laboring  team  quite  overcame  him,  and  slipping  off 
the  wagon  in  the  very  worst  part  of  the  bottom,  nothing 
more  was  seen  of  him  that  night.  The  next  morning, 
however,  he  put  in  an  appearance  betimes,  but  such  a 
sight.  The  boys  said  it  would  have  puzzled  his  wife  to 
recognize  him,  his  mud  disguise  was  so  complete.  But 
not  a  word  of  complaint  escaped  his  lips,  and  repairing 
to  a  stream  of  water  he  soon  made  his  toilet,  and  was 
all  ready  for  further  adventures.  He  was  a  very  short, 
stout  man,  and  it  would  not  require  a  very  deep  mud- 
hole  to  hide  him  entirely.  He  laughingly  said  he  ex 
plored  more  than  one  such  that  night.  It  was  a  pretty 
rough  initiation  for  an  old  man,  but  he  kept  on  with  us 
as  though  nothing  had  happened,  and  stood  it  well, 
though  not  mounted  till  we  reached  Jackson.  He  also 
did  us  good  service  many  times  on  the  expedition  as  a 
forager. 

The  4th  of  February  was  a  day  of  long  halts  and 
short  distances.  The  command  was  early  on  the  move, 
and  did  not  go  into  camp  till  nine  at  night,  passing  the 
old  battle  ground  of  Champion  Hills  in  the  meantime, 
and  stopping  long  enough  to  give  every  one  a  chance  to 
fully  explore  it.  Our  advance  skirmished  considerable 
and  sustained  some  loss,  but  it  did  not  affect  us. 


184  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


On  the  5th  skirmishing  began  at  daylight  and  con 
tinued  all  day.  We  started  at  half-past  six,  with  our 
division  in  the  advance,  the  2d  brigade  leading.  Just 
before  reaching  Clinton,  which  we  did  about  eleven 
o'clock,  the  3d  brigade  took  the  lead,  but  after  passing 
that  place  our  brigade  was  thrown  into  the  advance,  and 
held  it  the  rest  of  the  day,  the  I24th  in  front.  The 
enemy  took  position  just  east  of  Clinton,  and  we  were 
deployed  in  line  of  battle,  following  our  skirmishers 
through  fields  and  woods  for  some  distance,  with  occa 
sional  halts.  During  this  time  we  had  three  men 
wounded,  one  of  whom,  Cleveland  Acox,  of  company 
B,  died  of  his  wounds  at  Clinton,  the  /th  of  March  fol 
lowing.  Gen.  Hurlbut's  corps  came  upon  the  right 
flank  of  the  rebels  about  three  o'clock,  and  came  near 
bagging  them,  but  they  soon  gave  us  a  practical  illus 
tration  of  tall  skedaddling,  and  most  of  them  escaped. 
Nearly  all  our  forces  were  in  sight  a  portion  of  the  time 
we  were  thus  advancing,  and  the  view  was  very  grand. 
Private  Snedeker,  of  company  H,  makes  this  entry  in 
his  diary  :  "Our  whole  force  was  in  sight  at  this  time, 
both  the  1 6th  and  i/th  army  corps.  It  was  a  most  im 
posing  and  beautiful  spectacle  to  see  the  different  divis 
ions  and  brigades  in  line  of  battle,  with  colors  flying, 
the  artillery  in  position,  and  the  signal  flags  waving.  It 
was  the  pomp  of  war.  and  it  stirred  within  me  feelings 
that  are  indescribable."  Portions  of  the  rebel  force  were 
also  in  sight.  This  scene  will  never  be  forgotten  by  any 
one  who  was  present  and  saw  it. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  185 


The  enemy  left  their  dead  and  wounded  in  their 
retreat,  and  many  of  our  own  boys  were  passed  over  on 
the  field.  One  of  them  had  the  top  and  back  of  his 
head  entirely  shot  away  by  a  shell.  We  marched  in 
line  of  battle  till  nearly  sundown,  when  we  resumed  our 
movement  by  the  flank,  and  advanced  rapidly  on  Jack 
son,  entering  the  city  about  nine  o'clock  at  night,  the 
1 24th  ahead.  As  we  marched  in  with  music  and  cheer 
ing,  we  were  greeted  by  one  woman,  who  waved  a  lamp, 
and  by  a  small  boy,  who  sung  out,  ''hurrah  for  the 
Yanks!"  Only  our  brigade  entered  the  city  that  night, 
and  we  passed  through  the  town  into  camp  on  the  Can 
ton  road,  just  within  the  northern  limits,  having  marched 
over  twenty  miles  that  day. 

The  Jackson  of  February.  1864,  was  not  the  Jackson 
of  May,  1863.  Then  it  was  a  beautiful  city;  now  it 
was  a  heap  of  ruins.  Some  of  the  citizens  called  it 
"Chimneyville,"  from  the  great  number  of  standing 
chimneys  from  which  the  buildings  had  been  burned. 
We  remained  here  over  the  6th,  during  which  time  it 
seemed  as  though  every  thing  that  had  previously  escaped 
the  torch  managed  to  take  fire,  especially  on  the  business 
streets.  The  destruction  was  peculiarly  sad,  and  years 
will  not  efface  the  effects  of  the  war  in  Jackson. 

Here  ''Uncle  John"  was  mounted  on  an  aged  mule 
that  had  apparently  been  long  since  mustered  out  of 
service  to  die.  but  having  by  independent  foraging  re 
gained  a  very  little  of  the  vigor  of  his  youth,  and  being 
the  best  we  could  do  for  our  traveling  companion,  a  sad- 


186  HISTORY  OF  THE  IZ/JTII 

die  and  bridle  were  furnished,  and  the  aged  couple  made 
quite  a  respectable  appearance.  Before  we  left,  how 
ever,  a  minister  came  to  Col.  Howe  and  claimed  the 
mule,  requesting-  its  return,  but  the  Colonel  could  see 
no  reason  for  granting  his  request,  and  he  left  in  far  from 
the  best  humor.  Says  Reece :  "After  the  war  was 
over,  while  spending  a  Sunday  at  Kewanee,  Col.  Howe 
invited  me  to  attend  church  with  him,  but  before  reach 
ing  the  church  he  informed  me  that  the  minister  we 
expected  to  hear  preach  was  the  one  that  wanted  him  to 
return  '  uncle  John's  '  mule,  at  Jackson,  Miss.,  he  having 
come  north  and  been  called  to  preach  to  this  church,  no 
doubt  thinking  he  could  do  a  great  deal  of  good  in  com 
panies  A  and  F,  of  our  old  regiment.  " 

As  an  instance  of  the  destruction  and  waste  of  prop 
erty  in  Jackson,  one  of  our  men  in  his  diary  records 
seeing  a  colored  boy  thrumming  on  a  k 'dismounted" 
piano  in  a  gutter,  while  passing  through  the  streets  of 
the  city.  Though  of  no  consequence  compared  with  the 
loss  of  lives  and  homes,  and  the  terrible  sufferings  of 
war,  this  serves  to  illustrate  its  peculiar  wantonness  in 
all  manner  of  needless  destruction,  and  presents  a  pic 
ture  to  be  retained  with  others  against  future  temptation. 

The  morning  of  the  /th  we  resumed  our  march,  cross 
ing  Pearl  river  on  a  fine  pontoon  bridge,  which  it  was 
said  the  rebels  had  built.  We  halted  till  eleven  o'clock 
on  the  eastern  shore  for  Crocker's  division  to  pass  us, 
and  then  pushed  on  rapidly  through  a  hilly,  well  tim 
bered  country,  with  a  very  red  soil, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  187 

about  two  miles  east  of  the  once  pretty  village  of  Bran 
don,  having  marched  about  fifteen  miles.  This  place, 
like  Jackson,  was  none  the  better  or  richer  for  our  occu 
pation,  foraging  and  fire  doing  fearful  work,  and  as  usual 
attacking  the  loveliest  and  costliest  first.  By  our  "occu 
pation"  I  do  not  mean  that  of  our  regiment,  but  of  our 
forces  ;  our  regiment  did  not  halt  in  Brandon. 

The  next  day  we  moved  about  sixteen  miles,  a  good 
deal  of  the  way  through  heavy  pine  timber,  which  made 
it  very  pleasant  marching.  Foraging  seemed  to  be  the 
order  of  the  day,  no  one  interposing  any  objections,  and 
since  crossing  Pearl  river  our  march  had  been  through  a 
country  far  better  supplied  than  that  between  Big  Black 
and  Jackson,  which  had  been  foraged  elean,  not  a  hen's 
cackle  being  heard,  or  a  pig's  track  seen. 

Reece  says:  ''During  the  day  Eagle  and  'uncle  John' 
started  out  on  a  foraging  expedition,  and  towards  night 
we  found  them  sitting  by  the  roadside,  with  their  ani 
mals  loaded  with  poultry  and  other  edibles,  and  what 
was  more,  'uncle  John'  was  in  possession  of  a  very  fine 
mule,  but  little  like  the  one  he  rode  away  in  the  morn 
ing.  Upon  inquiry  I  found  he  had  'traded  with  a 
planter. '  ' 

The  officers'  mess  was  largely  indebted  to  "uncle 
John"  for  valuable  assistance  during  the  expedition,  and 
especially  this  day,  when  their  rations  included  about  all 
the  country  afforded  and  in  abundance.  He  seemed  to 
enjoy  foraging  and  displayed  a  peculiar  talent  for  it. 


188  HISTORY  OF  THE   124TH 

The  pth  of  February  we  marched  about  seven  miles, 
between  the  hours  of  nine  o'clock  A.  M  and  one  o'clock 
p.  M.  ,  and  encamped  at  Moreton  station,  on  the  Vicks- 
burg  and  Eastern  Railroad,  spending  the  rest  of  the  day 
in  destroying  the  road.  It  was  currently  reported  that 
the  enemy,  16,000  strong,  intended  to  fight  us  here,  but 
if  such  had  been  their  intention,  they  evidently  changed 
their  mind. 

The  following  day  we  moved  to  Hillsborough,  passing 
through  it  in  the  evening,  and  going  into  camp  about  two 
miles  east  of  the  town.  This  was  a  day  of  excitement 
and  apprehension.  The  1 6th  Army  Corps  was  in  the 
advance,  and  did  considerable  skirmishing  in  the  fore 
noon,  which  it  was  expected  might  lead  to  an  engage 
ment  at  any  moment.  Upon  reaching  Hillsborough 
they  were  fired  upon  from  the  houses,  which  led  to  the 
burning  of  the  town.  Our  regiment  was  center,  train 
guard,  and  we  were  annoyed  a  great  deal  by  the  heat 
from  burning  buildings,  which  sometimes  put  our  wa 
gons  and  mules  in  jeopardy.  Before  getting  into  camp 
we  had  to  cross  a  creek  where  the  enemy  had  just  burnt 
a  bridge,  and  did  not  stack  arms  till  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
having  come  about  fifteen  miles.  Some  of  our  2d  bri 
gade,  we  learned,  were  captured  at  Moreton,  in  the 
morning  after  we  left,  so  we  were  between  two  fires; 
rebels  in  front  and  rebels  in  the  rear,  and  nearly  every 
thing  on  fire  by  the  way,  besides. 

February  I  ith  we  lay  in  camp  until  nearly  five  p.  M  , 
having  a  corral  of  about  fifty  prisoners  to  guard,  mostly 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  189 

Texans.  After  moving  a  mile  or  more  we  entered  a  pine 
swamp,  and  halted  till  after  midnight  for  Crocker's 
division  to  cross  it,  expecting  to  move  every  minute. 
At  last,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  reached 
a  miserable  camp,  almost  destitute  of  wood  and  water, 
where  we  remained  till  nine  A.  M.  ,  though  but  few  of  us 
lay  down  till  after  daylight.  But  our  train  fared  worse 
than  our  regiment,  starting  at  five  p.  M.  and  moving  till 
eight  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Recce's  description  of 
that  night  is  worth  giving  entire  : 

"I  consider  this  the  most  unpleasant  night  I  ever 
spent  in  the  service.  The  road  was  the  poorest  kind  of 
corduroy,  and  was  built  as  we  moved.  Great  care  had 
to  be  taken  to  keep  in  the  track,  for  if  once  off,  'no  bot 
tom'  would  be  the  cry.  Then  to  add  to  our  other 
troubles,  the  fires  had  gotten  under  good  headway,  and 
the  dead,  dry  trees  were  burning  very  rapidly,  lighting 
up  the  heavens  with  a  lurid  light,  while  they  were  fall 
ing  in  every  direction,  across  the  road  and  elsewhere, 
with  a  continual  crash,  often  impeding  our  progress,  and 
the  noise  made  by  the  workmen,  the  crack  of  whips  and 
the  yells  of  the  drivers  as  the  train  would  close  up,  made 
one  almost  think  he  was  approaching  the  infernal  re 
gions.  The  scenes  of  that  night  are  indelibly  impressed 
upon  my  memory,  and  as  I  write  it  seems  as  if  it  was 
only  last  night  that  I  had  passed  through  them.  We 
had  several  very  narrow  escapes  from  falling  trees,  and 
before  reaching  the  corduroy  road  had  frequently  to  re 
move  them  before  we  could  proceed." 


190  HISTORY  OF  THE 


On  the  1 2th  we  were  ordered  to  fall  in  when  our  train 
came  up,  which  was  so  soon  after  getting  into  camp 
that  those  who  slept  a  little  had  no  time  to  get  break 
fast,  while  those  who  got  breakfast  had  no  time  to  sleep. 
After  crossing  another  swamp  we  halted  for  a  time  for 
other  troops  to  pass,  and  the  rest  was  very  grateful  ; 
pushed  on  later  and  made  fifteen  miles,  camping  in 
Decatur  at  seven  p.  M.  Here  the  rebels  had  made  a 
dash  on  General  Hurlbut's  train,  in  the  former  part  of 
the  day,  and  killed  twenty  mules  before  being  repulsed. 
As  a  consequence  the  town  had  shared  the  fate  of  Hills- 
borough  and  Brandon,  and  was  but  little  better  when 
we  reached  it  than  a  pile  of  smoking  ruins.  The  enemy 
at  this  time  seemed  to  be  all  around  us,  but  this  was  his 
first  direct  attack.  Previous  to  this  there  had  been 
quite  extensive  skirmishing,  and  so  many  foragers  had 
been  picked  up  that  subsisting  off  the  country  had  been 
rendered  rather  precarious,  somewhat  to  our  disgust. 
One  of  our  men  who  was  on  picket  the  night  after  reach 
ing  Decatur,  and  stationed  on  the  road  on  which  we  had 
come,  says  the  rear  guard  of  our  army  did  not  arrive 
till  after  one  in  the  morning,  which  gives  some  idea  of 
the  character  of  army  movements,  and  how  little  can  be 
told  of  the  whole  by  the  experience  or  history  of  a  part. 

The  next  day  we  moved  without  noteworthy  incident 
about  ten  miles,  and  encamped  on  the  Little  Chunkey 
creek,  our  brigade  by  itself.  Ihe  marching  was  tedious 
and  the  country  poor.  A  foraging  party  came  in  empty 
handed,  but  we  had  a  good  night's  sleep. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  191 

The  1 4th,  which  was  Sunday,  was  a  stirring  day  for 
our  brigade.  At  six  A.  M.  we  were  fairly  under  way  for 
Chunkey  Station,  on  the  Big  Chunkey  creek,  eight  miles 
distant,  with  orders  to  burn  the  railroad  bridge,  station 
house,  the  stockades  and  all  unoccupied  buildings,  and 
tear  up  the  track,  and  return.  We  reached  there  about 
nine  o'clock,  and  completely  surprised  about  1,500 
cavalry,  under  Wirt  Adams,  driving  them  across  the 
creek  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  in  which  three  of  the  45th 
were  wounded,  and  capturing  eight  wagons.  Some  of 
these  they  left  in  the  creek  after  starting,  cutting  the 
traces  and  barely  escaping  with  their  mules.  We  burnt 
everything,  according  to  orders,  including  two  stockades 
and  a  storehouse  with  considerable  cotton.  Our  regi 
ment  set  fire  to  the  bridge.  The  enemy's  surprise  was 
so  complete  that  Snedeker  says  in  his  diary:  *'We 
came  upon  them  while  they  were  eating  their  breakfast, 
and  so  unexpectedly  that  they  left  their  butter  and  their 
corn  bread  already  buttered  in  their  haste  to  getaway." 
After  resting  about  an  hour  we  moved  toward  the  Meri 
dian  road  by  another  route,  and  reached  it  in  ten  miles, 
at  one  p.  M.  ,  making  a  pretty  good  day's  work,  as  we 
thought,  and  one  rather  enj6yable.  A  few  minutes  after 
we  reached  the  main  line  of  march,  the  rebels  came  up 
and  fired  a  few  shots  into  the  train  of  an  Iowa  brigade, 
but  did  no  damage.  Our  halt  at  one  o'clock  proved  to 
be  for  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  night,  and  we 
greatly  enjoyed  our  rest  in  a  beautiful  pine  forest. 


192  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

The  morning  of  the  I5th  it  rained  for  about  five  hours, 
and  we  did  not  move  until  eleven  o'clock.  From  that 
time  we  pushed  on  steadily  through  bad  swamps  with 
swollen  streams,  and  over  "Stony  Hill."  where  it  was 
rumored  the  enemy  intended  to  make  a  stand.  The 
position  was  a  strong  one,  but  no  enemy  was  there. 
About  seven  p.  M.  we  went  into  camp  near  the  Chicka- 
maha  creek,  having  marched  about  twelve  miles.  Here, 
says  Allaire,  '  'we  found  our  teams  and  some  comfort, 
being  completely  wet  through  and  very  hungry." 

At  this  place  our  train  had  been  a  bridge  guard.  Not 
having  gone  with  us  to  Chunkey,  our  teams  had  kept 
with  the  other  trains  on  the  Meridian  road,  but  upon 
reaching  here,  Gen.  Leggett  ordered  Reece  to  halt  and 
guard  the  bridge  until  our  brigade  came  up.  He 
thought  at  first  the  General  was  joking,  but  upon  finding 
he  was  not,  packed  his  wagons  and  took  an  inventory 
of  materials  of  war,  finding  he  had  thirteen  wagons, 
fifteen  men,  and  ten  guns,  with  which  to  guard  a  bridge 
of  considerable  importance  in  the  midst  of  an  enemy's 
country,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  daring  and  vigilant 
foe.  But  nothing  daunted,  he  put  out  his  pickets,  and 
"held  the  fort"  in  good  order  till  after  dark,  when  our 
boys  came  up,  and  all  had  a  good  deal  of  sport  about 
guarding  bridges  with  mule  teams,  wondering  if  Gen. 
Leggett  had  any  military  precedent  for  such  an  order. 

Reece  says,  in  this  connection,  that  he  often  wondered 
why  our  trains  were  not  attacked  oftener  and  more 
damagingly  in  this  campaign  than  they  were.  They 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  193 

were  frequently  many  miles  in  length,  and  seldom 
guarded  by  any  considerable  force,  affording  opportuni 
ties  for  being  struck  and  badly  cut  up,  almost  any  day, 
before  our  troops  could  have  been  concentrated  for  their 
defense.  Probably  the  reason  why  they  were  not,  was 
to  be  found  in  the  presence  of  our  cavalry  on  our  flanks, 
which  afforded  us  a  protection  we  did  not  see,  besides 
giving  our  Generals  continual  information  as  to  the 
whereabouts  and  movements  of  the  rebels,  and  they, 
knowing  we  were  not  in  any  immediate  danger,  permit 
ted  us  to  straggle.  That  our  trains  were  not  attacked 
when  so  stretched  out  at  any  time,  is  one  of  the  facts  of 
the  expedition. 

The  next  day,  February  i6th,  we  marched  five  miles, 
into  Meridian,  and  went  into  camp  at  eleven  o'clock.  In 
the  afternoon  we  were  detailed  to  destroy  railroads.  We 
found  the  place  sadly  injured  by  fire,  yet  showing  signs 
of  having  been  of  considerable  consequence  to  the 
enemy.  Being  the  crossing  of  the  Mobile  &  Ohio,  and 
the  Vicksburg  &  Charleston  railroads,  its  importance  in 
the  movement  of  troops  and  supplies  was  very  great, 
and  extensive  barracks  and  storehouses,  with  an  arsenal, 
hospital,  etc.,  had  been  recently  erected,  all  of  wood 
and  of  very  cheap  construction.  The  rebel  force,  which 
consisted  of  French's  and  Loring's  divisions  of  infantry, 
and  Lee's  cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Lieut.  Gen. 
Bishop  Polk,  had  fallen  back  across  the  Tombigbee,  and 
Meridian  was  at  our  mercy.  For  three  days  we  were  busily 
occupied  destroying  railroads  and  rebel  property,  remain- 


194  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241^11 

ing  here  till  the  morning  of  the  2Oth.  The  last  building 
to  burn  was  the  arsenal,  which  contained  a  great  many 
old  shot  guns  and  rifles,  with  some  fixed  ammunition, 
and  when  the  heat  discharged  the  guns  and  fired  the 
shells,  the  music  was  lively  and  some  scampering  was 
done. 

While  here  our  rations  run  low,  and  how  to  eke  them 
out  was  quite  a  question,  while  some  of  the  expedients 
resorted  to  were  not  a  little  amusing.  The  grave  Maj. 
Mann  tried  his  hand  quite  successfully  at  baking  a  "corn 
dodger"  on  a  board,  but  did  not  succeed  as  well  in  cap 
turing  a  stray  pig  which  he  attacked  with  his  drawn 
sabre.  The  piney  woods  rooter  was  altogether  too 
fleet  for  him.  Company  H  foraged  a  couple  of  sheep 
one  day,  which  "Wash"  Baker,  the  under-cook,  tried 
to  roast  over  a  pit  of  live  coals  in  a  sort  of  barbacue 
style.  But  Snedeker  declares  they  were  '  'awfully  cook 
ed,  and  not  much  tougher  than  sole  leather."  Compa 
nies  C  and  H  secured  about  three  barrels  of  pea-nuts,  or 
"goobers,"  as  the  southerners  call  them,  which  came 
very  timely,  and  John  Eagle,  our  regimental  blacksmith, 
ever  on  the  alert,  made  a  discovery  of  some  flour,  sugar, 
etc.  So  he  went  to  the  Quartermaster  for  assistance, 
who  laid  the  case  before  the  Colonel.  He,  with  visions 
of  nice  warm  biscuits  before  his  eyes,  sent  for  a  detail 
and  gave  the  command  to  John,  who  marched  directly 
to  a  somewhat  prominent  house  and  demanded  admit 
tance.  This  was  refused,  but  he  played  the  officer  so 
well  as  to  finally  effect  an  entrance,  and  soon  found  quite 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  195 

a  quantity  of  flour,  with  some  sugar  and  saleratus,  hid 
den  under  some  carpets.  All  this  was  rolled  out,  an 
old  wagon,  pressed  into  service  for  the  purpose,  was 
loaded  up,  and  the  whole  was  at  headquarters  directly. 
After  the  barrels  were  emptied,  the  Quartermaster  had 
the  wagon  taken  off  another  way  and  the  barrels  burnt, 
so  as  to  hide  the  tracks,  and  then  the  officers  lived  on 
the  top  shelf  again.  The  owner  made  an  effort  at  head 
quarters  to  have  the  flour  returned,  but  did  not  succeed. 
The  biscuit  in  the  camp  chest  of  the  officers'  mess  pro 
bably  hindered.  It  was  a  great  mystery  to  other  regi 
ments  where  we  obtained  flour. 

Reece  says  he  formed  the  acquaintance  here  of  a  Miss 
Davis,  who  was  raised  in  Massachusetts,  and  had  been 
south  several  years  teaching,  who  was  the  most  bitter 
rebel  he  ever  met.  One  day  she  passed  his  quarters 
and  said  she  had  been  down  to  draw  her  rations,  show 
ing  about  a  dozen  ears  of  corn,  which  she  said  was  all 
she  could  get.  And  then  she  added,  she  would  be 
willing  to  live  on  corn  for  a  year  if  the  south  could  only 
succeed.  Such  was  the  spirit  manifested  by  nearly  all 
the  women  of  the  south.  They  seemed  to  glory  in 
their  sufferings. 

"  Soon  after  our  arrival  at  Meridian,"  says  an  extract 
from  a  diary,  "  a  soldier  was  seen  to  deliberately  set  fire 
to  an  occupied  residence,  and  when  the  family  took 
refuge  in  another  house,  he  followed  and  wantonly 
applied  the  torch  to  that.  Upon  being  arrested  he  gave 
as  a  reason  for  what  he  had  done,  that  some  time  previ- 


196  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

i 

ous  he  had  been  a  prisoner  in  rebel  hands,  and  in  being 
transferred  had  stopped  at  Meridian.  While  waiting 
transportation  at  the  depot,  this  woman,  whose  house 
he  had  burnt,  had  stepped  up  to  him  without  provoca 
tion  or  cause,  and  deliberately  spit  in  his  face,  and  he 
had  sworn  he  would  be  revenged.  All  who  witnessed 
the  burning  buildings  can  testify  that  he  kept  his  word, 
and  it  is  almost  useless  to  add  that  he  was  not  punished.  " 

The  morning  of  the  2Oth  witnessed  our  departure 
from  Meridian,  on  the  homeward  track.  The  four  left 
companies  were  detailed  to  burn  all  the  unoccupied 
buildings,  and  the  rest  started  about  six  o'clock,  guard 
ing  a  squad  of  prisoners.  Quite  a  number  of  white 
families  and  a  great  many  colored  people  left  with  us,  in 
all  manner  of  vehicles,  drawn  by  horses,  mules  and 
oxen.  Peach  and  plum  trees  were  in  full  bloom,  filling 
the  air  with  fragrance  and  our  eyes  with  beauty ;  the 
day  was  favorable  and  the  going  good,  so  that  the  men 
kept  well  closed  up,  and  reached  camp  easily  at  four 
p.  M.  ,  having  marched  eighteen  miles.  We  passed  a 
good  deal  of  land  already  ploughed  and  fitted  for  the 
seed,  which  looked  strange  to  us  northerners  at  this 
season  of  the  year. 

Very  little  forage  was  found  for  man  or  beast,  as  we 
were  on  the  ground  we  had  so  recently  cleaned  out. 
Often  it  was  extremely  difficult  to  supply  the  teams, 
and  many  little  squabbles  were  had  over  a  few  bundles 
of  corn  fodder,  between  teamsters  and  those  foraging  for 
officers'  horses.  Earlier  in  the  service  the  headquarters 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  197 

men  usually  came  out  ahead  on  such  occasions,  but  now 
teamsters  stood  up  for  their  rights,  and  an  officer's  horse 
was  accounted  no  better  by  them  than  a  regimental 
mule. 

After  enjoying  our  beautiful  bivouack  among  the 
pines,  we  started  at  eight  o'clock  the  morning  of  the 
2 1st,  and  went  into  camp  at  Decatur,  at  three  p.  M., 
having  come  thirteen  miles.  We  turned  over  our 
prisoners  to  General  Maltby,  and  so  were  relieved  of 
them,  and  having  a  delightful  camp,  could  have  enjoyed 
it  but  for  the  scarcity  of  rations.  An  empty  haversack 
is  a  great  misfortune  to  a  soldier.  An  order  was  issued 
here  to  send  the  mounted  men  of  each  regiment  ahead 
to  overtake  the  supply  train  for  rations,  and  as  our  regi 
ment  usually  had  its  full  share  of  such,  now  reinforced 
by  "  uncle  John,"  we  felt  sure  of  our  share  of  supplies. 
They  started  at  five  o'clock  the  next  morning,  and  over 
took  the  train  twenty  miles  distant.  After  securing 
supplies,  they  returned  about  six  miles  and  awaited  our 
arrival.  We  reached  camp  at  eight  P.  M.  ,  and  after 
drawing  one  day's  rations  of  hard  bread,  coffee  and 
bacon,  and  two  of  sugar,  things  were  lovely  again. 

The  23d  we  moved  into  Hillsborough,  coming  up  with 
the  trains  and  the  i6th  Army  Corps  ;  went  into  camp 
at  one  o'clock,  and  had  a  little  chance  to  wash  and  rest. 
The  weather  was  very  fine  and  the  roads,  save  on  the 
old  corduroy,  quite  dusty. 

General  Leggett  issued  an  order  to  our  division  here, 
stating  that  he  had  only  one  day's  rations  left,  and  con 


198  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

sequently  should  take  a  new  route  through  a  good 
country,  bidding  farewell  to  swamps  and  corduroys,  and 
that  each  regiment  must  subsist  itself.  He  could  not 
have  issued  a  more  satisfactory  order,  and  though  we 
were  a  long  distance  from  Vicksburg.  rejoiced  in  being 
out  of  rations,  for  the  opportunity  it  afforded  us  of  satis 
fying  our  own  wants.  On  the  morning  of  the  24th  we 
broke  camp  at  six,  and  diverged  northward,  sending  out 
a  foraging  detail  from  each  company,  and  marching 
eighteen  miles,  our  division  in  the  advance. 

And  now  began  our  '  'Banner"  troubles,  proving  to 
us  very  conclusively  that  exaltation  has  its  draw 
backs,  which  largely  discount  the  happiness  it  brings  ; 
a  part  of  the  stipulation  in  the  award  of  the  "Banner" 
being,  that  any  misconduct  on  the  part  of  the  men  hold 
ing  it,  in  camp  or  on  the  march,  would  be  sufficient 
cause  for  the  General  commanding  to  take  it  from  them, 
we  had  been  on  our  guard  and  good  behavior  at  all 
times.  Often  on  this  campaign  things  not  strictly 
according  to  orders  had  been  laid  to  the  I24th,  and  now 
that  we  had  to  forage  for  food  as  well  as  for  fodder,  it 
seemed  that  every  regiment  in  the  command  was  a 
model  compared  with  the  "Excelsior."  But  in  no  in 
stance  could  any  charges  against  us  be  proven,  and  we 
had  the  proud  satisfaction  of  carrying  the  flag  for  thirty 
one  days  on  the  most  destructive  march  the  southwest 
had  then  known,  on  our  good  conduct,  which  speaks 
volumes  for  the  class  of  men  composing  the  old  "Hun 
dred  and  two  dozen 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  199 

We  went  into  camp  at  three  o'clock,  and  awaited  the 
return  of  our  foragers,  who  appeared  in  due  time  in  two 
squads,  one  with  an  ox  team  and  wagon,  heavily  loaded 
with  meat,  sugar,  rice,  salt,  meal,  and  some  flour ;  the 
other  with  a  four-mule  team,  with  hams,  potatoes,  chick 
ens,  turkeys  and  geese.  Our  commissary  department 
was  immediately  flourishing,  and  all  enjoyed  it. 

The  25th  we  marched  only  about  seven  miles,  halting 
for  Gen.  Ilurlbut's  command  to  cross  Pearl  river.  Our 
foragers  were  quite  as  successful  as  the  day  before,  com 
ing  into  camp  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  good  wagon, 
well  loaded  with  provisions.  So  many  of  our  boys  were 
mounted  to-day  as  to  recall  the  inquiry  of  Col.  Marsh, 
when  we  entered  Memphis,  of  what  cavalry  we  be 
longed  to. 

On  the  26th  we  crossed  Pearl  river,  marched  sixteen 
miles,  and  went  into  camp  at  Canton,  at  eight  p.-  M. 
One  diary  of  a  non-combatant  says  :  "Went  foraging, 
and  captured  two  wagons  and  eight  mules."  This  sheds 
further  light  upon  the  mule  question  ;  in  fact  they  may 
be  said  to  have  been  plenty. 

We  found  Canton  a  very  neat  and  pleasant  place, 
rather  the  most  so  of  any  we  had  seen  in  the  State.  The 
inhabitants  seemed  to  be  more  than  usually  wealthy  and 
intelligent.  We  remained  here  from  Friday  night  to 
the  next  Tuesday  noon,  moving  camp  twice  in  the  time, 
and  being  called  into  line  at  bedtime  one  night  by  a  false 
alarm.  At  the  time  of  this  alarm,  about  half-past  eight 
o'clock  p.  M.,  nearly  all  the  regiment  had  retired  for  the 


200  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


night,  but  immediately  at  the  startling  sound  of  the , 
bugle,  and  Col.  Howe's  "fall  into  line,  124/7?,"  officers 
and  men  sprang  to  their  feet,  into  their  garments  and 
accoutrements,  and  were  in  line  of  battle,  to  a  man, 
within  two  minutes,  so  the  Colonel  afterwards  told  us. 
The  cause  of  this  alarm  was  a  reported  attack  of  the 
enemy  on  our  pickets. 

Here,  too,  our  mules  largely  slipped  from  our  control 
through  an  order  to  turn  over  all  surplus  animals  to  the 
Division  Quartermaster,  but  Reece  having  left  some 
teams  at  Big  Black  that  needed  recruiting,  determined  to 
maintain  his  advantage,  if  possible,  and  while  turning 
over  so  many  mules  that  he  was  reported  as  having 
obeyed  the  order,  managed  to  corral  a  number  of  the 
best  where  they  were  not  discovered,  through  the  aid  of 
his  willing  teamsters,  so  that  soon  after  we  started  again. 
Quartermaster  Williams  remarked  that  it  was  wonderful 
how  soon  our  boys  picked  up  mules  on  a  march. 

While  here  our  foragers  sustained  their  previous  repu 
tation,  and  our  rations  were  kept  at  the  full.  "In 
writing  home,  February  28th,"  says  an  officer,  "I  find 
my  bill  of  fare  for  that  day  was  buscuit,  ham,  chicken, 
fresh  pork,  beef,  sweet  potatoes,  butter,  eggs,  honey, 
and  persimmon  butter  ;  not  much  like  war.  Of  course 
this  lasted  but  one  day,  but  we  enjoyed  it  while  it 
lasted." 

On  the  2pth  a  train  reached  us  from  the  Big  Black, 
with  three  days'  rations  and  a  mail,  under  the  escort  of 
one  of  Gen.  Tuttle's  brigades.  We  cared  nothing  for 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  201 

the  rations,  but  the  mail  was  a  delight,  as  we  had  not 
had  one  since  starting.  Some  of  the  boys  were  almost 
wild  with  joy.  A  month  with  no  tidings  from  home  is 
a  great  while.  Says  one  officer:  "My  share  was  thir 
teen  letters."  Another  received  twenty,  and  so  on 
down. 

The  same  day  is  memorable  in  our  history  for  an 
occurrence  of  an  entirely  different  character,  which  cast 
a  very  unexpected  gloom  over  us  in  the  midst  of  our 
joy.  Adjutant  Smith  had  gone  out  in  the  morning  with 
a  detail  of  ten  men  from  our  regiment,  who  were 
mounted,  ostensibly  for  foraging,  but  really  under  orders 
on  a  scouting  expedition.  After  dark  news  was  re 
ceived  that  he  had  been  attacked  by  300  rebel  cavalry, 
and  it  was  feared  was  killed  or  captured  with  all  his  com 
mand.  We  were  immediately  ordered  to  his  assistance 
and  went  a  short  distance,  but  soon  returned  because  it 
was  too  late.  The  details  of  this  affair,  as  given  by 
Corporal  Alford  S.  Sayles,  of  company  A,  who  was  in 
it,  are  substantially  as  follows : 

"We  numbered  forty  men  and  two  officers,  a  Captain 
from  the  2Oth  Illinois  being  in  command.  Ten  were 
from  our  regiment.  We  were  all  mounted,  and  were 
ordered  to  go  out  about  ten  miles  and  stay  till  four 
o'clock,  unless  necessary  to  report  sooner.  It  was 
rumored  that  the  enemy  were  endeavoring  to  intercept 
our  out-coming  train  from  the  Big  Black,  and  we  were 
to  do  cavalry  duty  as  scouts.  We  went  out  as  ordered, 


202  HISTORY  OF  TIIK    124-111 

staid  our  appointed  time,  and  were  on  our  way  back 
when  we  were  intercepted  by  Wirt  Adams,  with  about 
iioomen,  constituting  the  advance  of  Gen.  Jackson's 
cavalry.  At  first  we  saw  only  a  few  men  on  horseback, 
in  the  road  ahead  of  us,  wearing  blue  overcoats,  and 
thinking  they  were  our  cavalry,  were  not  apprehensive 
of  danger,  but  being  fired  upon  by  a  hidden  foe  outside 
the  road,  evidently  connected  with  the  blue  coats,  we 
took  the  alarm.  Those  whom  we  saw  were  only  a 
decoy,  expecting  us  as  cavalry  to  charge  them,  while 
their  whole  force  was  waiting  to  receive  us,  but  being 
infantry  ,ve  dismounted,  got  over  the  fence,  and  com 
menced  fire  upon  them  in  the  flank,  which  disarranged 
their  plan  and  caused  them  to  develope  their  strength, 
and  endeavor  to  close  in  upon  us.  We  fought  as  long 
as  possible  against  such  fearful  odds,  and  did  some  exe 
cution,  but  it  was  soon  over.  Some  of  our  number 
were  killed,  sixteen  were  captured,  and  the  rest  escaped. 
One  man  was  shot  while  stamping  his  bills  in  the  ground, 
after  being  taken.  Another  was  shot  in  the  back  while 
trying  to  escape.  I  was  among  the  captured,  and  learned 
of  the  force  after  being  taken.  We  were  so  near  Can 
ton  that  we  distinctly  heard  our  drums  beat  reveille  that 
night." 

Corporal  Sayles'  narrative  as  a  prisoner,  from  this 
point,  may  be  found  near  the  close  of  this  volume,  and 
is  fearful  enough  to  make  one  shrink  from  shaking  hands 
over  the  '  'bloody  chasm"  even  at  this  day. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  203 

The  morning  of  March  1st  five  companies  of  the  regi 
ment  were  ordered  out  to  the  relief  of  the  Adjutant  and 
his  party,  if  any  could  be  afforded.  After  going  about 
a  mile  we  discovered  him  and  some  of  the  men  near  the 
railroad  track,  making  for  camp.  We  hailed  them  and 
they  immediately  came  to  us,  reporting  that  further 
search  was  useless,  upon  which  we  returned.  Our  loss 
in  this  sad  affair  was  seven  men,  only  three  out  of  ten 
reaching  camp,  one  of  whom,  from  company  D,  name 
forgotten,  was  wounded.  Of  the  seven,  Sayles,  of  com 
pany  A,  has  been  mentioned,  Cyrus  W.  Randall,  of 
company  E,  died  at  Andersonville,  Ga. ,  the  I2th  of 
October  following,  and  Wallace  Wilder,  of  company  H, 
at  Annapolis,  Md.,  March  i6th,  1865,  after  having  been 
exchanged.  Both  of  these  were  literally  starved  to 
death.  Samuel  Mallen  and  Edward  Phillips,  of  com 
pany  K,  were  never  heard  from,  but  George  C.  Mur 
phy,  of  company  I,  escaped  within  a  few  miles  of  Can 
ton,  and  after  considerable  skulking  and  suffering,  re 
joined  the  regiment,  safe  and  sound.  Who  the  seventh 
man  was  is  not  now  known  so  as  to  be  available  here. 
The  Adjutant  and  those  who  came  in  with  him  lost  their 
horses  and  lay  all  night  in  a  swamp,  hardly  daring  to 
stir,  but  very  thankful  to  escape  so. 

While  we  were  in  Canton  a  large  force  was  kept  con 
stantly  employed  in  destroying  the  railroad,  by  bending 
and  breaking  the  rails,  and  burning  the  ties.  In  some 
instances  the  rails  were  wound  around  trees  and  left  so, 


204  HISTORY  OF  THE 


as  though  a  special  effort  was  put  forth  to  render  the 
work  of  destruction  noticeable.  The  round-house, 
machine  shops,  twenty-four  locomotives,  and  a  large 
amount  of  rolling  stock,  was  also  destroyed,  a  cavalry 
force  under  Col.  Winslow  the  previous  summer  having 
done  a  part  of  it. 

At  noon,  March  1st,  our  work  at  Canton  seemed  to 
be  finished,  and  we  were  once  more  moving  toward 
home.  We  made  slow  progress,  and  went  into  camp 
on  Montgomery's  plantation  at  ten  at  night,  having  gone 
only  about  six  miles.  Having  rained  all  the  forenoon, 
it  was  exceedingly  muddy.  Sometimes  the  teams 
would  go  only  about  a  wagon's  length,  and  then  have  to 
stop  an  hour.  The  next  day  the  going  was  better,  and 
we  marched  about  fifteen  miles,  passing  through  Liv 
ingston  at  noon.  Cannonading  was  heard  in  our  rear, 
and  rebel  cavalry  were  seen  on  our  left,  at  one  time, 
from  the  top  of  a  high  hill.  Our  camp  at  night  was  on 
the  Bogue  Chitto  once  more. 

March  3d  our  brigade  moved  to  the  rear,  and  formed 
in  line  of  battle  on  the  side  of  what  was  called  Queen's 
Hill,  lying  there  till  noon,  during  which  time  all  the  rest 
of  the  army  crossed  the  creek.  We  then  moved  for 
ward,  unmolested,  (though  a  few  cavalry  were  seen  at  a 
distance,)  passing  through  Brownsville,  at  four  o'clock, 
and  going  into  camp  at  seven,  having  made  about  fifteen 
miles.  The  next  day,  March  4th,  we  marched  the  in 
tervening  fourteen  miles,  and  reached  our  camp  on  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  205 

Big  Black  at  two  o'clock,  crossing  the  river  and  filing 
into  quarters  with  a  glad  shout.  The  4/th  Illinois  had 
been  occupying  our  tents  in  our  absence,  but  vacated 
upon  our  arrival,  and  we  were  at  home  again,  after 
an  absence  of  thirty  days,  and  a  march  of  over  300 
miles. 

The  Quartermaster  says  this  expedition  was  decidedly 
beneficial  to  his  department,  as  he  not  only  replenished 
the  teams  he  had  with  him,  but  those  he  left  in  camp. 
There  were  very  strict  orders  against  allowing  any  extra 
animals  to  cross  the  bridge  over  the  Big  Black,  but  there 
were  none  against  their  swimming  the  river  above,  which 
may  account  to  the  Division  Quartermaster,  at  this  late 
day,  for  the  presence  of  so  many  fresh  mules  in  the 
corral  of  the  I24th. 

The  return  of  our  troops  was  attended  by  the  most 
remarkable  hegira  of  negroes  the  southwest  had  ever 
known.  Over  5,000  came  in  with  us,  of  every  age, 
quality  and  condition.  Some  were  on  foot,  marching 
all  the  way  from  Meridian,  loaded  down  like  pack  mules, 
women  carrying  feather  beds  the  whole  distance  upon 
their  heads,  and  heavy  bundles  in  arms  besides.  Others 
were  in  wagons  of  every  quality  and  kind  known  to  the 
south,  drawn  by  mules,  horses,  oxen,  a  horse  and  a 
mule,  an  ox  and  a  mule,  or  a  cow  and  an  ox,  hitched 
up  with  ropes,  chains,  bark,  leather,  raw-ride,  straw,  or 
what  not.  Twenty-eight  little,  bare,  kinky  heads  were 
counted,  sticking  up  over  the  sides  of  one  high  box 


206  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


wagon,  very  like  chicken  heads  above  the  slats  of  a 
coop,  and  all  were  happy.  They  were  making  for 
"God's  country,"  as  they  called  all  inside  our  lines, 
and  preferred  to  take  every  risk  for  freedom  They 
passed  in  toward  Vicksburg,  and  we  resumed  our  old 
ways  on  the  Big  Black  once  more,  remembering  with 
the  deepest  interest  our  "Meridian  raid." 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  207 


CHAPTER   XV. 


Aurora's  respects. — Conley  again. — Col.  Howe  on  leave. — Reece  de 
tached.—  New  guns. — Wedding. — Brigade  broken  up. — Left  out  in 
the  cold.  — Every  day  life. — Circus. — Horse  off  for  Dixie. — Flag 
surrendered. — Its  subsequent  history. — To  Vicksburg  once  more. — 
Col.  Howe  returned. — A  fish  story. — Col.  Sloan. — Weather. — Reece 
up  the  river. — Recruits. — Defences  of  Vicksburg. — Big  Black  evacu 
ated. — Respects  of  the  regiment. 

/COMPANIES  E  and  H  enjoyed  a  little  surprise  upon 
\j  reaching  camp,  in  finding  a  pair  of  socks  for  each 
man  from  the  ladies  of  Aurora,  with  a  darning  needle, 
yarn,  thread,  needles  and  pins,  and  a  letter  in  each  pair. 
God  bless  the  patriotic  women  of  the  North,  for  their 
many  proofs  of  interest  in  our  cause,  and  love  for  the 
soldiers,  of  which  this  is  but  an  instance. 

Before  dismissing  the  "  Meridian  raid,"  Conley  must 
come  in  for  a  little  further  notice,  as  he  and  Reece  had 
a  little  "bout, "and  this  was  its  fashion:  While  on 
the  Meridian  march,  says  Reece,  "I  had  an  arrangement 
with  my  teamsters  by  which  they  took  turns  in  going  to 
the. cattle  corral  for  beef  after  the  day's  march.  It  so 


208  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/111 

happened  that  the  night  we  arrived  at  Moreton,  Wilson, 
whose  turn  it  was,  could  not  go,  owing  to  the  load  he 
had,  and  as  Conley's  wagon  was  empty,  I  requested  him 
to  go,  which  he  declined  to  do.  I  told  him  to  do  so  or 
go  to  his  company.  Upon  that  he  took  off  his  hat  and, 
scratching  his  head,  (which  he  always  did  when  in  trou 
ble,)  delivered  himself  as  follows:  'Now  see  here, 
Quartermaster,  this  ain't  fair,  to  get  a  man  a  hundred 
miles  from  camp,  with  no  gun,  and  then  send  him  to  his 
company.  If  I  had  a  gun  I'd  go  to  the  company,  but 
not  having  any,  I  guess  I'll  go  after  the  beef.'  As  he 
was  one  of  my  first  teamsters,  and  had  never  carried  a 
gun,  I  thought  this  was  a  sensible  conclusion.  But  soon 
after  this  he  played  a  joke  on  me,  which  causes  me,  at 
this  late  day,  to  laugh  when  I  recall  it.  We  generally 
had  a  few  extra  mules  with  the  train,  and  one  afternoon 
he  put  a  saddle  on  one,  and  leaving  his  helper  with  his 
team,  was  riding  along  in  considerable  style.  Upon 
falling  in  with  him  he  praised  his  mule  so  highly  that  I 
was  induced  to  exchange  with  him  for  a  short  time,  to 
test  his  good  qualities.  Soon  after  Conley  disappeared, 
and  I  did  not  see  him  again  until  after  reaching  camp. 
My  mule  went  nicely  until  just  before  dark,  when,  upon 
attempting  to  ride  over  a  long  bridge,  he  positively  re 
fused  to  go.  All  my  efforts  were  in  vain,  so  I  had  to 
dismount  and  lead  him  across.  Upon  remounting,  he 
again  refused  to  go.  By  this  time  it  was  quite  dark, 
and  the  troops  and  trains  had  all  passed.  I  was  getting 
in  a  hurry,  but  every  time  I  mounted,  he  would  stub- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  209 

bornly  refuse  to  move.  Mules  were  plenty,  but  saddles 
were  not.  and  as  I  did  not  like  to  carry  the  saddle  over 
the  hills  to  camp,  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  lead  the 
mule,  which  I  did,  not  reaching  the  camp  till  quite  late, 
and  had  I  met  Conley  that  night  I  fear  he  would  have 
gone  to  his  company,  gun  or  no  gun.  He  had  had 
some  such  experience  with  the  mule  before  I  came  up, 
hence  his  anxiety  for  me  to  test  his  good  riding  quali 
ties." 

The  next  day  after  reaching  Big  Black,  Col.  Howe 
went  to  Vicksburg  to  obtain  an  order  to  go  home,  which 
he  succeeded  in  doing,  and  started  on  the  "War  Eagle" 
March  8th,  leaving  Maj.  Mann  in  command.  Before 
he  left  Vicksburg  he  was  presented  with  a  fine  sabre  by 
Judge  O'lsfeil  and  others  with  whom  he  had  been  asso 
ciated  upon  the  Military  Commission. 

On  the  1 3th  of  March  Reece  was  detached  as  Post  Quar 
termaster,  by  order  of  Gen.  Leggett,  and  reported  to  Col. 
R.  K.  Scott  for  duty,  who  was  then  in  command  of  the 
Post  of  Big  Black.  Some  of  his  experience  while  ab 
sent  from  us  will  be  from  time  to  time  inserted  in  these 
pages.  For,  much  of  the  time  while  away  he  carried 
the  responsibility  of  the  Quartermaster's  department  in 
our  regiment,  and  Durley  did  the  work. 

On  the  1 5th  of  March  the  regiment  drew  new  guns, 
the  regulation  Springfield  piece,  with  which  the  men 
were  well  pleased.  New  accoutrements  were  issued 
with  them,  and  all  the  "old  traps"  were  duly  "turned 
over. " 


210  HISTORY  OF  THE 


The  1 6th  of  March  a  novel  war  incident  occurred,  of 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  tell  who  was  the  hero.  Hav 
ing  been  so  long  on  the  Big  Black  our  boys  had  become 
pretty  well  acquainted  with  all  the  citizens  near,  of 
whom  there  were  a  good  many,  and  some  of  whom  pro 
fessed  Union  sentiments.  At  all  events  they  treated 
the  boys  kindly,  and  for  tender,  or  other  considerations, 
in  some  instances,  became  very  intimate  with  them. 
The  result  was  that,  as  in  peace,  so  in  war,  young  peo 
ple  would  be  true  to  their  antecedents,  and  triumph 
over  every  obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  fancied  happi 
ness.  And  so  Chaplain  Howard  was  approached  by 
two  men  of  the  regiment  with  the  request  that  he  would 
marry  them  to  two  sisters  by  the  name  of  Ivy,  who, 
with  their  mother,  were  refugees  from  somewhere,  liv 
ing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  camp.  He  declined 
to  take  the  responsibility  of  so  grave  a  step,  and  coun 
seled  against  it,  urging  that  it  would  be  in  violation  of 
the  terms  of  their  enlistment,  it  could  not  have  been 
properly  considered,  it  would  involve  them  in  expense 
and  trouble  which  they  were  but  poorly  furnished 
against,  etc.  But  finding  them  persistent,  he  at  last 
consented  to  officiate  in  case  they  would  get  the  written 
consent  of  the  commander  of  the  regiment  and  of  the 
Post.  So  encouraged  they  went  to  Capt.  Field,  who 
was  temporarily  in  command  of  the  regiment,  in  the 
absence  of  Maj.  Mann,  and  procured  the  following 
"license:" 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  211 

"  BLACK  RIVER,  Miss.,  March  15,  1864. 
"  To    Whom  it  may  Concern: 

11  I  hereby  cheerfully  and  freely  give  my  consent  for 
Mr.  Henry  C.  West,  company  G,  I24th  Illinois  Infant 
ry,  and  Miss  Caroline  Ivy ;  also,  Mr.  John  C.  Lovell, 
company  D,  same  regiment,  and  Miss  Adaline  Ivy,  to 
become,  respectively,  man  and  wife,  and  for  any  one  who 
has  legal  authority  so  to  do,  to  marry  them. 

"  HENRY  L.  FIELD,  Capt.  Co.  C, 

"Temporarily  com'dg  I24th  111.  Inf. 
"Approved  : 

JOHN  B.  RAYMOND, 

Capt.  and  Prov.  Marshal, 

3d  Division,   i/th  Army  Corps." 

Armed  with  this  formidable  document,  West  and 
Lovell  came  to  the  Chaplain  after  prayer-meeting,  the 
night  ot  the  i6th,  who  accompanied  them  across  the 
drill  ground  to  the  humble  residence  of  the  girls,  whom 
he  found  with  their  mother  and  a  few  friends,  in  a  con 
dition  of  somewhat  nervous  expectancy,  and  speedily 
allayed  all  their  apprehensions,  and  made  them  happy 
by  pronouncing  the  talismanic  words  that  made  them, 
as  Capt.  Field  said,  ''respectively,  man  and  wife."  Of 
these  marriages  it  may  be  said,  as  far  as  known,  they  re 
sulted  as  happily  as  though  contracted  in  peace.  Mrs. 
Lovell  lived  only  a  few  months,  dying  of  fever  in  Vicks- 
burg  in  July  following,  and  Lovell  died  at  home  on  sick 
leave  in  May,  1865.  West  and  wife  were  living  to- 


212  HISTORY  OF  THE  124-1-11 

gether  at  last  accounts,  he  having  been  mustered  out  in 
the  South  in  June,   1865. 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  hoped,  in  some  way,  to  be 
permitted  to  remain  in  our  old  brigade  and  division. 
But  now  orders  and  decisions  rapidly  multiplied  against 
us.  On  the  I3th,  I7th  and  I9th.  respectively,  the  vet 
erans  of  the  2Oth,  45th  and  3ist  left  for  home,  and  our 
brigade  was  broken  up.  The  non  veterans  of  the  2d 
brigade  came  out  from  Vicksburg  and  occupied  the  camp 
of  the  45th,  and  in  the  absence  of  Gen.  Leggett,  and 
the  other  brigade  commanders,  all  on  veteran  leave  cr 
business,  Gen.  Dennis  became  commander  of  the  division 
and  Post.  He  soon  left,  like  the  rest,  and  Col.  R.  K. 
Scott  of  the  78th  Ohio,  a  non-veteran,  afteward  Governor 
of  South  Carolina,  became  the  ranking  officer  on  the  Big 
Black. 

Every  step  in  these  movements  widened  the  distance 
between  us  and  our  old  companions  in  arms,  and  we 
never  saw  the  veterans  again.  The  non-veterans  staid 
with  us  awhile,  and  we  yet  hoped,  hoped  for  the  sake  of 
the  flag  we  still  carried,  and  our  proud  name  among 
them,  that  some  plan  would  be  devised  by  which  ice  at 
least,  might  be  made  an  exception  in  the  re-organization 
of  the  army,  for  eastern  campaigning,  on  a  veteran 
basis.  But  gradually  the  newer  regiments  took  the 
places  of  the  veteran  organizations,  the  /2d  and  8ist 
Illinois  being  thrown  into  proximity  with  us,  the  non- 
veterans  left  for  the  north  as  the  leave  of  the  veterans 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  213 

expired,  and  we  were  out  in  the  cold,  beyond  a  pread- 
venture.  We  thought,  in  our  pique,  that  the  banner 
had  something  to  do  with  it ;  that  it  was  designed  to  re 
organize  us  out  to  regain  that,  as  they  dared  not  hope 
to  get  it  in  any  other  way,  since  we  were  as  well  able  to 
keep  it  by  drilling  and  regimental  superiority  as  we  had 
been  to  gain  it.  In  fact,  no  regiment  had  the  temerity 
to  challenge  us  to  a  contest  for  it.  But  while  many  still 
think  there  was  such  a  design,  others  have  long  ago  re 
linquished  the  idea,  and  doubtless  for  good  reasons. 

During  the  rest  of  our  stay  upon  the  Big  Black,  our 
duties  were  without  any  very  noteworthy  incidents. 
Occasionally  a  flag  of  truce  would  come  in,  and  our 
officers  would  go  out  to  meet  it,  and  confer  with  the 
bearers.  Once  an  ambulance  train  was  sent  out  under  a 
flag  of  truce  for  some  of  our  men  who  were  wounded  on 
the  Meridian  raid,  and  had  been  paroled.  Our  pickets 
were  fired  on  a  few  times,  and  we  had  a  scare  or  two, 
with  the  usual  number  of  rumors  of  every  kind  known 
to  soldiers  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  John  Fitzgerald, 
of  company  G,  was  mortally  wounded  in  camp;  a  circus 
came  out  and  tried  the  experiment  of  a  performance  for 
the  benefit  of  soldiers  alone,  with  but  meagre  success  ; 
the  Colonel's  horse  got  loose  and  skedaddled  across  the 
"spittoon"  bridge,  as  a  rebel  woman  called  it,  into 
Dixie,  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  stop  him  ;  a  few  deserters 
came  in,  and  police,  drawing  rations,  Surgeon's  call, 
picket,  and  dress  parade,  made  up  the  rest. 


214  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


At  last,  on  the  5th  of  April,  Col.  Scott  came  to  our 
regimental  headquarters,  in  person,  having  previously 
sent  for  the  banner  and  been  refused,  with  a  detail  and 
a  written  order  for  the  proud  '  'Excelsior  Banner,"  which 
we  had  so  nobly  won.  The  order  set  forth  that,  as  we 
were  no  longer  in  the  3d  Division,  i/th  Army  Corps, 
etc.,  we  would  surrender  the  flag  as  the  property  of  the  t 
Division,  to  the  proper  officer,  upon  his  receipting  for 
it.  which  the  Colonel  did,  and  Major  Mann  relinquished 
it  to  him,  much  as  a  mother  says  "good  by"  to  a  son 
at  parting.  This  assured  our  fate,  and  was  really  the 
first  thing  addressed  to  us,  that  officially  did  so. 

Of  the  subsequent  history  of  the  flag  we  know  but 
this  :  On  one  or  two  occasions  during  the  Atlanta  cam 
paign,  the  /Sth  Ohio  undertook  to  carry  it,  but  the 
2Oth,  3  1st  and  45th  Illinois  would  not  permit  it,  as  that 
regiment  had  never  won  it,  and  had  no  right  to  carry  it  ; 
that  is,  they  made  so  much  sport  of  the  /Sth  that  they 
were  glad  to  deposit  it  at  headquarters,  and  let  it  alone. 
After  the  war,  being  desirous  of  having  it  present  at  our 
first  re-union,  at  Kewanee,  General  Howe  sent  a  request 
to  General  Leggett,  to  send  it  to  him,  and  he  would  be 
responsible  for  its  return.  General  Leggett  promptly 
sent  the  following  reply:  ''That  during  the  Atlanta 
campaign  his  tent  was  captured,  together  with  his  uni 
form  and  the  'Excelsior  flag.''  So  our  regiment  was 
the  only  one  that  ever  carried  it.  and  was  thereby  alone 
entitled  to  the  proud  distinction  of  the  "Excelsior" 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  215 

i ' 

regiment,  which  it  ever  retained,  while  the  banner,  as  a 
trophy  of  war.  may  have  done  duty  in  many  ways  in 
rebel  hands. 

As  soon  as  the  banner  was  obtained,  the  non-veterans 
of  the  whole  division,  Colonel  Scott  in  command,  left 
lor  Vicksburg  and  Cairo,  on  the  cars,  their  objective 
point  being  Chattanooga  and  northern  Georgia,  under 
Sherman.  Braver  men  and  braver  officers  were  not  in 
the  service  than  those  of  our  old  brigade,  division  and 
army  corps.  How  longingly  and  lovingly  we  followed 
them  in  our  memories  and  prayers.  And  when  one 
after  another  fell,  with  the  gallant  McPherson  (July  22d, 
1864)  at  their  head,  we  mourned  them  as  though  they 
had  fallen  by  our  side  in  the  strife.  Within  a  few  hours 
we  too  were  on  the  move  for  Vicksburg,  taking  with  us 
all  our  lumber,  with  the  evident  intention  of  staying 
awhile  and  making  ourselves  comfortable.  We  were 
now  officially  informed  that  we  were  assigned  to  garrison 
duty  in  the  city  and  Post  of  Vicksburg,  with  Gen.  J.  A. 
Maltby  commanding  brigade.  We  went  into  camp  on 
a  hill  somewhat  in  the  rear  of  the  city  hospital,  on 
ground  previously  occupied  by  the  3Oth  Illinois,  and  in 
the  course  of  a  day  or  two  were  quite  comfortable  again. 

On  the  1 2th  of  April  Col.  Howe  returned  from  home, 
and  was  received  as  usual,  with  marks  of  respect  and 
confidence,  by  the  regiment,  and  called  out  to  make  a 
speech.  The  boys  soon  settled  down  into  their  routine 
of  duty,  which  for  the  present  was  mostly  picket,  as  the 


216  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


colored  troops,  of  which  there  were  several  regiments  in 
the  city,  had  been  hitherto  called  upon  for  fatigue,  and 
the  /2d  Illinois  were  on  provost  duty.  It  was  always 
deeply  interesting  to  us  to  picket  the  line  of  our  old 
approaches  to  the  works,  and  guard  our  historic  spots. 
and  our  picket  line  at  this  time  was  mainly  the  line  of 
the  old  rebel  breastworks. 

On  the  i6th  of  April  the  officers'  mess  got  up  a  fish 
ing  party,  and  having  obtained  a  detail  of  a  mule  team, 
started  out  in  force  to  capture  the  denizens  of  some  of 
the  contiguous  waters.  It  is  now  remembered  that 
Chaplain  Howard,  who  was  then  running  the  mess,  and 
made  some  pretentions  to  piscatorial  skill,  was  in  the  lead, 
and  that  Captains  Kendall  and  Griffith,  Adj't.  Smith  and 
Serg't.  Maj.  Richards  were  of  the  party.  Who  the  others 
were  is  not  remembered,  though  it  is  believed  Captains 
Field  and  Stafford  were  along.  The  first  point  made 
was  Long  Lake,  on  the  Yazoo  bottom,  being  contiguous 
to  the  historic  Chickasaw  Bayou,  where  Gen.  Sherman 
was  defeated  in  December.  1862.  Armed  with  fishing 
tackle  enough  to  fill  the  wagon  with  fish,  and  plenty  of 
bait,  we  expected  some  sport.  But  upon  reaching  the 
waters  we  found  the  "gar"  so  plenty  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  sink  a  baited  hook  below  them,  and  after 
feeding  them  an  hour  or  two,  we  gave  it  up  in  disgust, 
only  one  of  the  party  succeeding  in  capturing  a  fish 
other  than  a  "gar."  Capt.  Griffith  caught  one  small 
perch,  a  sorry  specimen,  truly,  for  the  officers'  mess  of 
the  "  hundred  and  two  dozen,"  and  we  knew  no  way  as 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  217 

anglers  to  help  ourselves.  At  this  juncture  some  one, 
probably  a  teamster,  told  us  that  some  men  were  catch 
ing  catfish  at  the  mouth  of  Steele's  Bayou,  just  across 
the  Yazoo,  and  to  the  bank  of  that  river  we  went. 
Leaving  our  team  we  ferried  over,  found  the  fisher 
men,  and  speedily  interviewed  them.  They  had  fish 
in  plenty,  a  car  full,  as  they  called  the  sunken  box  where 
they  kept  them.  We  went  and  looked  at  them.  They 
were  fine  fish,  ranging  all  the  way  from  five  to  a  hun 
dred  pounds.  But  they  wanted  a  shilling  a  pound  for 
them,  live  weight.  Twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  pound  for 
catfish,  when  the  river  was  full  of  them  !  But  we  bought 
one  weighing  forty  pounds,  at  last,  and  were  about  to 
start  back  when  some  one  asked  them  what  they  would 
take  for  the  ''run  of  the  lines."  That  promised  a  little 
sport.  A  little  fishing  after  all.  It  seemed  they  had 
quite  recently  run  four  of  their  lines,  of  which  they  had 
five,  so  they  offered  to  take  five  dollars,  which  the  boys 
readily  promised  to  give,  and  were  off  for  the  sport.  The 
Adjutant,  with  Kendall  and  Griffith,  was  in  a  separate 
boat,  while  the  Chaplain  was  in  with  the  fishermen  who 
did  the  work'  The  four  lines  were  run  with  but  little 
success.  Perhaps  two  small  fish  of  ten  or  twelve  pounds 
apiece  was  all.  And  then  the  fisherman  was  going  to 
stop.  It  would  be  of  no  use  to  run  the  other.  There 
was  nothing  on  it.  It  was  some  ways  off.  It  was  bait 
ed  for  "buffalo"  fish,  etc.  But  the  boys  had  no  idea  of 
being  put  off  so.  A  bargain  was  a  bargain.  And  he 
wisely  yielded  to  our  mild  persuasions,  and  proceeded 


218  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 

to  line  No.  5.  Soon  a  fine  catfish  was  caught  weighing 
twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds,  and  then  a  smaller  one, 
and  the  men  felt  that  they  were  slightly  ahead,  while  the 
fisher's  face  was  correspondingly  blank.  But  the  feature 
of  the  entertainment  was  yet  to  come/  Directly  a 
nervous  jerk  or  two  indicated  another  fish,  and  of  a  large 
size.  Expectation,  which  had  risen  on  tip  toe,  as  the 
downward  "chug"  continued,  soon  became  wild,  as  the 
fisherman,  who  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  leviathan  in 
the  muddy  water,  sung  out,  "he  is  not  fast  ;  he  is  not 
fast,  and  I  have  no  gaff-hook  with  me ;  has  anybody  a 
pistol  to  shoot  him  with?"  The  Adjutant  said,  "I 
have/'  and  coming  closer  with  his  boat,  and  cocking  his 
pistol,  was  ready  to  fire,  while  every  eye  was  strained 
upon  the  surging  line.  Another  lift  and  the  fisherman 
called  out.  "he  is  fast ;  he  is  fast,"  and  soon  he  was  a 
struggling,  floundering  mass  of  about  seventy  pounds  of 
catfish  among  us  in  the  boat,  and  we  were  exultant. 
The  reason  why  he  had  said  he  was  not  fast  was,  that 
getting  a  glimpse  of  him  at  first,  in  the  muddy  water, 
and  of  an  eel  nearer  to  the  main  line  than  he,  he  had 
thought  the  eel  was  on  the  hook  instead  of  the  catfish, 
which  was  true,  as  the  eel  had  first  taken  the  bait  and 
was  hooked,  while  the  catfish  had  then  taken  the  eel. 
But  the  latter  had  objected  so  decidedly  to  being  swal 
lowed,  that  he  had  run  out  through  the  catfish's  gills, 
and  then  taken  a  hitch  or  two  around  the  standing  line 
above,  tying  up  Mr.  Catfish  as  securely  as  though  he 
had  been  strung  by  the  fisherman.  We  now  had  our 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  219 

money's  worth  of  sport,  besides  our  surplus  fish,  and  a 
big  yarn,  and  went  home  satisfied.  As  for  the  fisher 
man,  the  sport  and  excitement  of  so  novel  an  occurrence, 
more  than  made  him  amends  for  the  loss  he  sustained  in 
his  bargain.  The  pure  fisherman  had  triumphed  over 
the  mercenary  features  of  the  transaction. 

While  taking  tea  in  1878  at  his  own  home  with  a  Cap 
tain,  who  was  with  us  on  that  fishing  excursion,  his  wife 
said,  "Of  all  my  husband's  army  stories,  there  is  but 
one  which  I  feel  inclined  to  doubt,  and  that  is  about  a 
big  catfish  and  an  eel  which  he  says  they  caught."  In 
terrupting  her,  I  said,  "Perhaps  you  will  let  me  tell  the 
story  and  see  if  he  has  stretched  it.  We  have  not  met 
for  years,  and  there  can  be  no  collusion  between  us." 
So  I  told  it  substantially  as  related  here,  and  when  I  had 
finished,  she  simply  remarked,  "I  will  believe  John 
now." 

On  the  1 9th  of  April  we  received  a  visit  from  Col. 
Sloan.  He  had  been  out  to  see  us  before,  first  coming 
to  camp  on  the  loth,  and  having  been  in  Vicksburg 
since  that  time.  And  there  had  been  a  great  deal  of 
talk  about  his  status  und  intentions.  Some  said  he  was 
reinstated,  and  it  was  feared  such  might  be  the  case. 
But  when  he  came  this  day,  and  the  officers,  at  his  re 
quest,  were  called  together,  he  frankly  told  us  that  he 
could  not  be  reinstated  except  by  our  consent,  for  which 
he  was  then  a  suppliant.  Just  what  the  reasons  were, 
or  who  had  given  them,  we  do  not  remember,  but  we 


220  HISTORY  OF  THE  124TH 

knew  we  should  soon  be  entitled  to  a  Colonel,  as  recruits 
were  expected,  and  so  entertained  the  matter  very  seri 
ously,  giving  an  emphatic  protest,  with  two  or  three 
exceptions,  against  his  return.  Several  hours  were  spent 
in  the  discussion  of  the  matter,  and  it  caused  a  great 
deal  of  feeling,  but  that  discussion  closed  up  this  case 
forever.  The  Colonel  never  returned  to  us  again. 

This  was  the  most  trying  April  we  spent  in  the  serv 
ice.  Not  having  chimneys,  as  on  the  Big  Black,  it 
required  quite  an  effort,  very  frequently,  to  keep  com 
fortable  in  camp.  Allaire  says  of  the  9th:  "This  day 
has  been  one  of  the  most  disagreeably  cold,  and  we  have 
no  fire  ;  windy,  and  we  have  eyes,  so  we  have  dust. 
Like  many  others,  it  has  been  spent  entirely  for  one 
purpose,  keeping  comfortable,  and  with  ill  success." 
On  the  24th  we  were  all  shivering,  and  one  man  attracted 
considerable  sympathetic  attention,  if  he  did  not  quite 
succeed  in  setting  a  new  fashion,  by  going  about  with 
his  blanket  on.  The  wind  blew  "trcmendiously"  several 
days,  as  our  diaries  have  it,  and  it  was  colder  than  Feb 
ruary,  on  the  Meridian  raid. 

During  this  month,  Reece  was  acting  Assistant  Quar 
termaster  for  the  non-veteran  camp  of  the  i/th  Army 
Corps,  and  superintended  the  removal  of  all  its  camp 
and  garrison  equipage  to  Cairo,  Illinois,  remaining  with 
it  till  the  return  of  the  veterans,  and  the  eve  of  their 
departure  for  the  field.  All  the  non-veterans,  and  every 
mule  and  wagon  belonging  to  the  Army  Corps,  were 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  221 

sent  up  the  river  on  one  boat,  "a  three  decker  tub,"  as 
Reece  called  it,  by  order  of  Ass't.  Adj't.,  Gen.  Col.  Wm. 
T.  Clark,  of  General  McPherson's  staff.  Upon  being 
remonstrated  with,  he  swelled  up  and  said,  they  should 
all  go  on  that  boat  if  it  sunk  it,  and  go  they  did ;  though 
they  had  to  land  twice  to  let  the  soldiers  air  themselves 
and  clean  the  boat.  If  Colonel  Clark  had  been  along 
he  would  never  have  given  another  order.  This  is  re 
lated  here  more  particularly  in  view  of  the  lamentable 
sinking  of  the  "Sultana,"  some  months  later,  from  the 
same  cause.  That  and  this  were  simply  "damnable," 
as  more  than  one  soldier  expressed  it. 

Upon  reaching  Columbus,  Kentucky,  after  a  long  and 
tedious  trip,  with  most  of  the  boys  on  deck,  we  noticed 
a  great  commotion  in  the  town,  and  upon  landing,  were 
informed  that  Forrest  was  in  the  rear,  and  they  expected 
him  to  attack  them  every  hour,  therefore  we  must  dis 
embark  and  assist  them.  Col.  Scott  and  several  other 
officers  concluded  to  reconnoitre  first.  Reece  being  of 
the  number,  and  upon  riding  over  the  hills,  were  soon 
met  by  scouts,  who  reported  Forrest  in  full  retreat.  He 
doubtless  thought  all  Grant's  army  was  on  that  one 
boat,  from  its  appearance,  and  hastened  to  get  away. 
Reece  says,  that  of  all  mud  he  saw  in  the  service,  that 
at  Cairo  was  the  worst,  and  the  teamsters  were  all  glad 
to  get  away  from  it.  "No  bottom,"  with  a  mule  team, 
was  not  an  altogether  pleasant  thing. 


222  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 


On  the  2Oth  of  April,  eighty-five  recruits  reached 
Vicksburg  for  our  regiment,  and  most  of  our  recruiting 
detail  returned.  Company  D  had  received  nine  recruits 
in  December,  1863,  but  these  were  the  fruits  of  our  own 
effort,  and  were  mostly  from  among  old  acquaintances 
and  friends  ;  hence  their  coming  was  hailed  with  delight. 
They  were  enlisted  for  particular  companies,  and  were 
immediately  assigned  to  them,  giving  their  ranks  an 
appearance  somewhat  like  the  olden  time. 

By  this  time  the  new  defences  of  Vicksburg  were  in 
such  a  state  of  forwardness,  or  completion,  that  we 
began  to  feel  quite  secure.  The  line  was  continuous, 
with  heavy  batteries  occurring  at  important  points, 
among  which  batteries  Castle,  Grant,  and  Sherman, 
were  especially  strong  and  prominent.  The  line  was 
very  much  shorter  than  the  old  rebel  line,  and  in  case  of 
an  attack,  could  be  manned  quicker  by  reason  of  its 
nearness,  and  held  by  a  much  smaller  force. 

Following,  legitimately,  upon  the  completion  of  the 
defences  of  Vicksburg,  the  Post  of  the  Big  Black  was 
evacuated  April  28th.  and  the  troops  that  could  be 
spared,  were  dispatched  to  other  localities,  many  of  them 
to  Red  river,  under  General  Banks,  thus  materially  re 
ducing  the  force  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city. 

The  command  of  Vicksburg  was  changed  about  this 
time,  General  H.  W.  Slocum,  of  New  York,  being 
assigned  to  it.  and  on  the  3<Dth  of  April,  after  dress 
parade,  we  proceeded,  as  a  regiment,  to  pay  our 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  223 


respects  to  him,  at  his  headquarters,  and  were  courte 
ously  received.  After  leaving  Post  Headquarters,  we 
repaired  to  General  McArthur's,  and  gave  him  a  com 
plimentary  call,  which  he  seemed  to  appreciate  very 
highly.  And  so  closed  April,  1864,  with  us  in  a  new 
organization,  and  settled  down  in  Vicksburg,  with  a 
prospect  of  remaining  there  indefinitely. 


224  HISTORY  OF  THE  i24'm 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


Off  on  a  scout. — Benton. — Skirmishing-. — Vaughan's  Station. — Yazoo 
City. — Back  the  21st. — Sergeant  Hanes  died. — Reece  back. — In  a 
well. — Bigelow  Quartermaster. — Military  execution. — Howe's  ad 
dress. — Off  to  Jackson  July  1st. — Back  the  9th. — Sanford  mortally 
wounded. — Inspected  by  Gen.  Dana.  —Col.  Howe  home  on  leave. — 
Political  speaking. — Respects  to  Gen.  Dana. — Grand  Review. — On 
the  "Shenango. " — Mess  running  on  the  boat. — White  river. — Off  for 
Memphis. 

ON  THE  2d  of  May  we  moved  our  camp  to  a  posi 
tion  near  the  cemetery,  just  north  of  the  valley 
road,  and  nearer  the  city  than  we  had  been  before,  where 
it  remained  till  October  We  had  just  succeeded  in 
making  ourselves  comfortable,  when  marching  orders 
were  received,  and  on  the  4th  we  left  on  what  proved  to 
be  an  eighteen  days'  scout.  We  moved  at  half-past  six, 
as  rearguard,  and  found  ourselves  in  a  brigade  with  the 
nth  and  ?2d  Illinois,  Colonel  Coats,  of  the  nth,  com 
manding,  with  General  McArthur  in  command  of  the 
expedition.  The  weather  was  warm,  and  the  roads 
were  dusty,  making  our  march  of  twenty-two  miles  very 
hard  upon  the  men.  We  gained  only  about  sixteen 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  225 

miles  by  our  march  of  twenty-tv^o,  on  account  of  making 
a  detour  toward  the  Big  Black,  and  then  west  again,  and 
our  camp  was  some  distance  in  the  rear  of  our  command. 
The  next  day  we  started  as  soon  as  light,  rejoined  our 
brigade,  and  marched  twenty-five  miles,  getting  into 
camp  before  night.  Our  cavalry  skirmished  some  dur 
ing  the  day,  but  we  had  no  trouble,  except  from  a  cane- 
brake.  We  passed  through  the  dilapidated  town  of 
Mechanicsburg,  a  strange  name  for  a  southern  hamlet, 
where  there  are  no  mechanics,  and  every  other  man  is  a 
doctor.  We  were  played  and  sung  to  sleep  at  night  by 
a  rebel  girl's  performance  at  a  piano,  her  principal  tune 
being  the  "bonnie  blue  flag."  If  Miss  Celia  Lester  (or 
the  lady  who  used  to  bear  that  name)  should  ever  read 
this  history,  she  may  recall  the  occurrence. 

On  the  6th  we  marched  about  seventeen  miles  and 
camped  by  a  creek.  The  principal  feature  of  the  day 
was  the  capture  of  five  rebels  by  a  squad  of  our  cavalry. 
They  had  been  stationed  there  to  capture  stragglers, 
and  came  very  near  taking  one  of  General  McArthur's 
staff,  our  cavalry  coming  up  just  in  time  to  capture  the 
captors.  Some  of  the  way  to-day  our  men  foraged  quite 
extensively,  as  we  were  where  the  Yankees  had  never 
been  before.  Chickens  were  plenty  in  camp  at  night. 
We  were  off  at  four,  the  morning  of  the  /th  ;  heard 
shelling  at  half-past  nine,  and  soon  were  in  line  of  battle, 
and  ordered  to  load.  Shortly  after  we  advanced  through 
Benton,  where  the  enemy  had  made  a  stand, *^nd  were 
shelling  as  we  came  up.  We  marched  through  by  the 


226  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241^1 


flank,  in  quick  time,  and  formed  in  line  of  battle  again, 
in  the  rear  of  Bolton's  battery.  Skirmishers  were  thrown 
out,  and  the  enemy  fell  back.  After  advancing  a  short 
distance  and  finding  them  gone,  we  filed  out  into  the 
Lexington  road  and  followed  them  about  four  miles,  re 
turning  and  encamping  about  half  a  mile  east  of  Benton, 
in  an  orchard.  Lieut.  Pomeroy,  of  the  /2d,  was  mor 
tally  wounded  by  a  shell,  and  one  of  the  /th  Ohio  bat 
tery  was  killed  at  Benton.  The  enemy  left  two  dead 
upon  the  field.  One  of  our  shells  dismounted  a  rebel 
piece  by  breaking  the  axle,  and  they  drew  it  off  by  a 
rope  round  the  gun,  dragging  it  four  miles  in  the  dirt. 
We  also  captured  a  rebel  courier,  with  dispatches  from 
Lee  to  Adj't.  Gen.  Cooper,  who  rode  right  up  to  our 
men  without  knowing  we  were  there. 

The  8th,  Qth,  loth  and  nth  we  remained  in  camp 
while  our  cavalry  were  off  toward  Black  river,  and  else 
where,  though  a  little  skirmishing  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  pth.  threw  us  into  line  of  battle  for  about  half  an 
hour,  and  finally  moved  us  half  a  mile  to  a  more  pleas 
ant  camp,  near  the  /th  Ohio  battery.  Some  rebels 
were  seen  across  a  ploughed  field  near  us,  and  in  close 
proximity  to  a  building  of  some  kind.  Upon  investiga 
tion  it  was  found  to  contain  corn,  which  explained  their 
presence,  and  Adj't  Smith  and  Orderly  Campbell,  of 
company  H,  burnt  it.  One  gun  of  the  /th  Ohio  battery 
was  taken  out  to  the  picket  lines,  and  shelled  the  woods 
quite  extensively  on  the  nth. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  227 

On  the  1 2th  our  regiment  made  a  reconnoisance  to 
the  east  about  eight  miles,  with  artillery  and  cavalry, 
evidently  seeking  for  a  fight,  or  on  a  wild  goose  chase. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  grumbling  at  Gen.  Me  Arthur 
among  the  boys.  Our  cavalry  went  on  farther  to  the 
Big  Black,  and  we  waited  for  their  return.  Then  we 
moved  north  awhile,  and  finally  returned  to  camp  at 
Benton,  tired,  dirty,  and  complaining.  After  getting 
to  bed,  orders  came  to  march  at  five  the  next  morning, 
with  three  days  rations  and  one  team.  That  made  the 
boys  all  mad.  They  could  see  no  sense  in  it.  But  we 
started  betimes  the  I3th,  after  seeing  our  train  and  sick 
men  off  for  Yazoo  City.  Our  route  was  on  the  Lex 
ington  road  for  a  time,  and  then  diverged  toward 
Vaughan's  Station.  About  nine  o'clock  our  cavalry 
came  up  with  the  rebels  and  had  a  heavy  skirmish  with 
them  in  an  open  field,  which  soon  involved  the  artillery 
and  infantry,  and  the  enemy  retreated.  Capt.  Starr,  of 
the  colored  cavalry,  was  mortally  wounded.  About 
noon  the  enemy  made  another  stand,  which  brought  us 
all  into  line  again,  with  our  skirmishers  engaged.  We 
advanced  about  two  miles,  some  of  the  time  under  fire 
from  their  shells,  and  occasionally  seeing  a  dead  rebel, 
until  it  appeared  they  had  fled,  and  then  went  into  camp 
near  the  house  of  a  Dr.  Frost,  a  Surgeon  in  the  3<Dth 
Mississippi.  He  was  at  home  upon  our  approach,  hav 
ing  been  wounded  at  Chickamauga,  but  chose  to  leave 
with  Adams,  despite  his  wounds,  rather  than  be  cap 
tured  by  us.  We  had  marched  about  sixteen  miles  this 


228  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


day,  and  as  we  learned  afterwards,  had  punished  the 
enemy  considerably,  their  dead  being  hidden  away  in 
houses  as  we  passed,  only  to  be  brought  out  when  their 
scare  was  over.  Three  were  in  one  house.  Just  after 
sunset  a  few  rebels  came  to  the  edge  of  the  woods  and 
fired  into  one  part  of  our  camp,  but  they  were  soon 
chased  away. 

The  morning  of  the  I4th  we  had  inspection  of  car 
tridge  boxes,  and  a  part  of  the  cavalry,  with  the  iith 
Illinois,  started  at  five  o'clock,  to  burn  the  railroad 
bridge  over  the  Big  Black,  north  of  Canton.  But  they 
found  the  enemy  too  strongly  posted,  and  returned  with 
out  accomplishing  their  mission,  after  losing  three  men. 
The  rest  of  us  started  at  seven,  and  marched  to  Deason- 
ville,  where  we  waited  for  the  nth  to  join  us,  and  then 
returned  to  our  camp  at  Benton,  having  marched  twelve 
miles.  The  next  day  we  marched  to  Yazoo  City  very 
easily,  and  encamped  on  the  bluffs  above  the  town. 
Found  the  "  Autocrat"  and  two  other  vessels  belonging 
to  the  Marine  Brigade  there,  and  proceeded  to  draw 
rations. 

The  1 6th  and  i/th  we  remained  in  camp,  and  saw  the 
court  house  and  many  other  buildings  burnt.  We  put 
our  sick  and  foot-sore  on  the  boats  and  started  for  Vicks- 
burg  the  morning  of  the  i8th,  going  into  camp  at  Liv 
erpool  Heights,  fifteen  miles  below,  but  having  gone 
five  miles  out  of  our  way  to  get  there. 

The  iQth  we  marched  seventeen  miles  down  the  val 
ley  road,  passing  through  the  used-up  village  of  Sar- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  229 


tartia.  The  2Oth  we  made  sixteen  miles  more,  reach 
ing  Haines'  Bluff,  and  the  2ist  we  arrived  at  our  old 
camp  in  Vicksburg  again,  having  been  gone  eighteen 
days,  and  accomplished  very  little. 

The  27th  of  May  Sergeant  James  Hanes,  of  company 
B,  died,  and  was  buried  the  same  day.  He  was  a 
favorite  in  his  company,  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
him,  and  his  funeral  was  the  largest  and  most  solemn 
ever  attended  in  the  regiment.  We  lost  some  brave 
men  by  sickness  during  the  summer  of  1864,  but  for  the 
most  part  the  regiment  was  healthy,  all  having  learned 
better  how  to  take  care  of  themselves,  our  exposure  not 
being  as  great  as  the  previous  season,  and  the  men  be 
ing  partially  acclimated.  A  reference  to  the  roster  at 
the  end  of  this  volume  will  furnish  all  mortality  sta 
tistics. 

•  Soon  after  we  returned  from  our  scout,  Reece  return 
ed  from  his  Illinois  service.  But  he  was  not  permitted 
to  more  than  shake  hands  with  us  before  he  was  de 
tached  again  by  order  of  Gen.  Maltby,  as  Brigade  Quar 
termaster,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  at  brigade  head 
quarters,  some  distance  from  the  regiment.  Having  an 
invitation  to  take  tea  with  us  soon  after  leaving,  he  met 
with  an  adventure  which  was  at  once  ridiculous  and 
grave.  The  nearest  way  from  brigade  headquarters  to 
the  regiment  was  through  a  ravine  near  the  base  of  the 
bluffs,  where  troops  had  been  in  camp  earlier  in  the  sea 
son,  and  had  dug  several  wells,  which  were  partially 
hidden  by  the  vegetation  which  had  sprung  up  since 


230  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 

they  left.  Starting  on  horseback  to  fulfill  his  engage 
ment,  in  full  uniform,  he  proceeded  as  usual  till  he  came 
to  the  ravine,  where  he  found  a  squad  of  colored  troops 
drilling.  His  horse  shied  at  some  movement  made,  and 
jumping  to  one  side,  disappeared  in  one  of  these  wells, 
rider  and  all.  Having  extricated  his  feet  from  the  stir 
rups,  providentially,  when  the  horse  stopped  he  found 
himself  standing  on  its  head,  and  just  able  to  reach  the 
grass  above  him.  The  negroes  seeing  him  disappear  in 
such  a  way,  hastened  to  the  rescue,  and  soon  had  him 
on  terra  firma  uninjured,  but  plus  a  heavy  coat  of  mud. 
Then  they  sent  to  headquarters  and  procured  picks, 
spades  and  ropes,  and  after  "sapping"  the  well,  suc 
ceeded  in  extricating  the  horse  without  damage,  greatly 
to  the  surprise  of  all.  "But,"  says  Reece,  "I  did  not 
wish  to  repeat  the  performance,  and  I  lost  my  supper." 
When  brigade  headquarters  were  moved  to  the  city, 
as  they  subsequently  were,  and  it  became  apparent  that 
all  things  were  to  continue  as  they  were  running  for 
some  length  of  time,  Reece  requested  Col.  Howe  to 
appoint  Lieut.  Bigelow  as  Regimental  Quartermaster, 
which  was  done,  and  he  so  served  us  till  March  follow 
ing,  (after  we  left  Vicksburg,)  when  Reece  returned  to 
the  regiment ;  2d  Lieut.  W.  F.  Dodge  meantime  com 
manding  company  A. 

For  the  next  few  weeks  nothing  transpired  worthy  of 
mention.  We  did  no  drilling  for  two  reasons  :  we 
did  not  need  it,  save  the  recruits,  and  there  was  but 
little  opportunity.  We  were  on  picket  daily,  and  did 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


some  fatigue,  but  June,  1864,  was  an  uneventful  month 
to  the  "Hundred  and  two  dozen.  "  A  ripple  was  created 
on  the  24th  by  a  military  execution,  which  many  of  us 
witnessed.  A  colored  soldier  who  had  murdered  his 
wife,  was  shot  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  concourse  of 
people,  soldiers  and  others,  on  our  drill  and  review 
ground,  south  of  the  city.  He  seemed  not  to  believe  he 
was  to  be  shot,  but  regarded  it  all  as  an  immense  joke 
to  the  last.  He  was  shot  sitting  on  his  coffin,  and  was 
pierced  by  five  balls,  expiring  almost  instantly. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  the  anniversary  of  the  "  Slaugh 
ter  pen"  in  Fort  Hill,  Col.  Howe  issued  the  following 
address  : 

"  HEADQUARTERS  124™  ILL.  INF'TY, 
VICKSBURG,  Miss.,  June  26,  1864. 

*  '  Officers  and  Soldiers  : 

'"I  deem  it  fit  and  proper  to  make  note  and  mention 
that  this  is  the  anniversary  of  a  day  never  to  be  forgot 
ten  by  you  —  a  day  which  will  live  in  history  —  and  of 
which  you  may  well  be  proud  —  the  day  of  the  assault  by 
you  upon  Fort  Hill,  the  bulwark  of  the  rebel  defenses 
of  Vicksburg. 

"Consecrated  by  the  blood  of  your  heroic  comrades, 
who  nobly  tell  in  that  deadly  contest  of  fire  and  blood, 
as  well  as  by  the  steady,  dauntless  valor  of  all  engaged, 
it  has  shed  untarnished  and  enduring  lustre  upon  your 
fame  and  prowess  as  American  soldiers. 

"Cherishing  the  memory  of  our  fallen  brothers,  emu 
lating  their  patriotic  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Freedom 


232  HISTORY  OF  THE 


and  good  government,  let  us  strive  to  maintain  the  repu 
tation  you  this  day  won,  and  by  the  blessing  of  Him 
who  rules  the  destinies  of  Nations,  may  its  next  return 
witness  the  final  overthrow  of  a  wicked  and  causeless 
rebellion  —  the  complete  restoration  of  the  government 
over  all  the  land,  and  a  glorious  and  honorable  peace, 
nobly  and  honorably  won  ! 

"J.  H.  HOWE, 
Lieut.   Col.  Commanding.  '  ' 

During  most  of  the  month  of  June,  Col.  Howe  was 
in  command  of  the  brigade,  in  the  absence  of  General 
Maltby,  while  Major  Mann  was  in  command  of  the 
regiment. 

July  1st  the  regiment  started  on  what  we  termed  the 
Jackson  expedition,  under  General  Slocum,  and  did  not 
return  until  the  pth.  The  details  of  this  week  of  our 
history  are  singularly  wanting,  as  for  some  cause  not  one 
of  those  whose  diaries  are  relied  upon  were  present. 
The  Chaplain  remained  in  camp  on  account  of  the  sick 
ness  and  expected  death  of  some  who  wished  him  with 
them.  The  Hospital  Steward,  Allaire,  was  ordered  to 
remain  in  charge  of  the  hospital  ;  Snedeker  was  home 
on  furlough,  and  Reece  was  on  detached  service.  Col. 
Howe  was  in  command  of  the  regiment  again,  but  unlike 
his  usual  practice,  kept  no  diary  on  the  expedition,  and 
leaving  for  home  immediately  on  our  return,  wrote  us 
letters  covering  it.  It  appears  that  we  encamped  on 
the  Big  Black  the  first  night,  near  our  old  camping 
ground,  the  men  being  greatly  exhausted  from  the  heat, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  233 

but  from  some  cause  we  did  not  reach  Clinton  till  the 
4th.  As  usual  the  enemy  was  found  here,  and  our  pick 
ets  to  the  east  were  soon  driven  in  with  some  loss. 
Rallying,  however,  they  in  return  drove  the  rebels,  and 
occupied  their  stations.  On  the  5th  the  I24th  had  the 
lead,  and  pushed  the  enemy,  ahead  slowly  till  about 
eleven  o'clock,  when  a  rebel  battery  of  four  Napoleon 
guns  opened  upon  us,  and  a  flank  movement  was  exe 
cuted  to  dislodge  them.  This  was  entirely  successful, 
though  a  few  of  our  force  were  wounded.  Our  men 
suffered  greatly  from  the  extreme  heat,  but  we  pushed 
on  and  occupied  Jackson  that  night,  going  into  camp 
near  Pearl  river.  The  next  morning  our  regiment  was 
detailed  to  destroy  a  bridge  across  the  river  which  was 
in  process  of  construction,  and  accomplished  our  work 
by  noon,  though  not  without  considerable  opposition 
and  some  loss.  Immediately  thereafter  we  started  for 
home,  with  bands  playing  and  banners  flying,  as  though 
we  had  nothing  more  to  fear  or  to  do.  But  about  three 
miles  out  we  were  brought  to  a  sudden  halt  by  the  fire 
of  two  masked  batteries,  one  in  our  front  and  the  other 
upon  our  right  flank.  The  first  shot  came  near  unhors 
ing  Col.  Howe  We  moved  into  a  piece  of  woods 
which  was  exposed  to  the  rebel  fire,  while  the  46th  Illi 
nois,  under  Col.  Dornblazer,  and  other  portions  of  the 
command  were  more  immediately  engaged,  some  of 
them  with  considerable  loss.  We  remained  in  this  posi 
tion  all  night,  lying  on  our  arms,  and  the  next  morning 
renewed  the  engagement,  the  I24th  leading,  and  soon 


234  HISTORY  OF  THE 


routed  the  enemy,  who  retreated  in  great  haste.  Our 
train  had  been  in  considerable  peril  in  this  affair,  and  at 
one  time  we  expected  to  suffer  material  loss.  As  it 
was,  our  killed  and  wounded  were  said  to  be  about  300 
men,  among  whom  were  Horatio  G.  Sanford,  of  com 
pany  A,  who  died  July  i/th,  and  Serg't.  James  M. 
Griffith,  of  company  I.  The  name  of  the  affair  was 
Jackson  Cross  Roads,  and  the  enemy  were,  in  part  at 
least,  under  the  command  of  General  Gholson.  On  our 
return  from  Alabama,  in  1865,  we  had  him  for  a  travel 
ing  companion  through  Mississippi,  and  he  expressed 
himself  in  terms  of  high  admiration  of  the  gallantry  of 
our  forces,  and  of  chagrin  at  their  failure  to  "gobble  us 
up,"  which  they  confidently  expected  to  do.  He  lost  a 
hand  in  the  affair  by  a  shot  from  one  of  our  guns.  Our 
Color  Sergeants,  Wesley  S.  Stokes,  of  company  I,  and 
James  H.  Hodges,  of  company  K,  bore  themselves  with 
such  bravery,  that  Col.  Howe  specially  complimented 
them  for  it. 

Capt.  Field,  who  was  present,  inserts  the  following 
when  revising  the  manuscript : 

"While  in  this  piece  of  woods,  through  which  the  rebel 
artillery  were  frequently  firing  their  whizzing  missiles, 
several  stirring  scenes  were  witnessed — some  decidedly 
laughable,  but  some  as  decidedly  otherwise.  A  few 
'colored  gentlemen,'  cooks,  or  officers'  servants,  were 
with  our  forces,  who  were  by  no  means  fond  of  flying 
cannon  shot.  One  of  these  darkies  was  large,  awkward, 
and  wore  an  enormous  white  linen  duster.  He  was 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  235 


anxious  to  get  through  the  woods,  or  at  least  to  some 
portion  farther  west,  and  was  watching  his  chances 
between  shots,  seeming  to  conclude,  as  well  he  might, 
that  the  rebels  were  making  his  great  white  coat  a  spe 
cial  mark  for  target  practice,  and  that  the  day  of  final 
reckoning  with  him  was  close  at  hand.  As  this  interest 
ing  gentleman  was  jumping  from  tree  to  tree,  trying  to 
dodge  the  big  balls,  and  had  just  taken  refuge  behind 
an  unusually  large  one,  looking  out  first  to  one  side,  and 
then  the  other,  with  a  terribly  puzzled  and  distressed 
looking  countenance,  a  cannon  shot,  with  a  horrid 
noise,  came  tearing  through  the  limbs  and  bushes,  when 
the  darky  sprang  out  to  one  side,  then,  expecting  to  be 
hit  if  he  went  that  way,  back  to  the  other,  and  when 
about  half  way  between  two  large  trees,  the  ball  cutting 
off  a  large  limb  over  his  head,  in  an  instant,  as  for  dear 
life,  he  fell  flat  on  his  belly,  with  arms  and  legs  widely 
spread  out,  and  white  coat  covering  about  a  square  rod 
of  ground.  But  as  soon  as  he  decided  that  he  was  not 
killed,  he  sprang  to  his  astonished  feet,  and  disappeared 
in  far  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it. 

While  we  were  lying  here,  the  rebels,  in  plain  sight, 
moved  forward  quite  a  force  of  infantry,  in  line  of  battle, 
with  right  flank  toward  us,  within  easy  cannon  range;  but 
as  we  had  no  artillery  at  hand,  the  opportunity  of  tearing 
their  beautiful  lines  to  pieces,  was  lost.  A  mounted 
rebel  sharp-shooter  also  appeared  suddenly  from  behind 
a  house,  some  twenty  rods  from  our  regiment,  took  a 
hasty  survey  of  the  scene  before  him,  drew  up  his  gun 


236  HISTORY  OF  THE  1 2  J.TH 


and  fired  a  shot  amongst  us,  and  was  out  of  sight  before 
one  of  our  men  was  quick  enough  to  bring  him  down, 
though  several  shots  were  sent  after  him.  Fortunately 
his  shot  hit  no  one.  though  it  was  a  wonder." 

Capt.  Griffith  of  Co.  I,  always  ready  for  a  joke,  says 
of  the  teamsters  in  the  moment  of  their  greatest  peril, 
while  driving  over  an  exposed  portion  of  the  road:  "It 
was  wonderful  how  their  language  changed.  Instead  of 
swearing  at  their  mules,  as  was  their  custom,  when 
they  came  there  they  said,  4  Now,  good  mulies,  come, 
good  mulies,  get  up,  wont  you  ;  now  do,  please,'  but  the 
moment  they  were  by,  they  cracked  their  whips  as  of 
old,  and  said.  'Now,  d — n  you,  get  up\"  Our  boys  all 
felt  sore  over  this  scout.  It  was  a  new  phase  of  war  for 
them,  for  though  they  did  not  retreat  in  the  face  of  the 
foe,  they  accomplished  nothing  worthy  of  their  courage 
and  skill,  and  could  extract  very  little  from  it  that  was 
flattering  to  their  prowess  or  patriotism. 

Gen.  Slocum,  during  this  action,  though  several  times 
exposed,  behaved  with  remarkable  coolness  and  gal 
lantry. 

On  the  23d  of  July  we  had  a  day  so  cool  that  Dr. 
Jassoy  came  to  breakfast  with  his  overcoat  on,  and  we 
all  shivered  for  the  want  of  a  fire  in  our  mess  tent. 
Nothing  else  transpired  out  of  the  usual  routine  till  the 
2Qth,  when  we  were  inspected  by  a  strange  and  fine 
looking  officer,  and  soon  found  him  to  be  Maj.  Gen.  N. 
J.  T.  Dana.  All  sorts  of  rumors  were  afloat  regarding 
his  presence  with  us,  and  our  future  ;  but  we  soon  set- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  237 

tied  down  into  our  accustomed  quiet  upon  learning  that 
Gen.  Slocum  had  been  relieved,  and  Gen.  Dana  had 
been  assigned  to  the  command  of  Vicksburg. 

On  the  1 3th  of  August  Col.  Howe  returned  from  his 
leave  of  absence,  and  about  the  same  time  we  began  to 
be  somewhat  excited  politically,  Lincoln  having  been 
re-nominated  for  the  Presidency  by  the  Republicans,  and 
McClellan  nominated  by  the  Democrats.  All  the  citi 
zens  of  Vicksburg,  with  one  exception,  as  far  as  we 
knew,  were  in  sympathy  with  the  Democrats,  and 
ardently  desired  the  election  of  McClellan.  That  ex 
ception  was  a  gentleman  by  the  name  of  Mygatt,  a  local 
Methodist  minister,  and  one  who  figured  quite  exten 
sively  in  Vicksburg  for  a  time. 

On  the  24th  of  September  the  feeling  culminated  in  a 
mass  meeting  at  regimental  headquarters,  which  was  re 
ported  by  Maj.  Mann  for  the  Aurora  Beacon,  as  follows: 

FROM  THE  I24TH. 

" VICKSBURG,   Miss.,  Sept.  26. 

"Editors  Beacon: — Although  we  are  4<away  down 
South  in  Dixie,"  and  shut  out,  in  a  great  measure,  from 
participation  in  the  great  political  contest  now  going  on 
at  the  North  ;  and  although  we  have  exchanged  the 
wide  awake  torchlight  of  186o,  for  the  sabre  and  bayo 
net  of  1864,  and  fought  over  many  bloody  fields  the 
traitor  enemies  of  our  country,  far  from  friends,  and 
wives  and  little  ones  and  homes,  yet  we  have  not  lost  a 
whit  of  our  interest  in  all  these  loved  objects,  nor  for 
gotten  our  obligations  and  duties  as  citizens,  nor  abated 


238  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


one  jot  in  our  determination  to  overthrow  all  the  traitor 
enemies  of  free  institutions,  under  whatever  garb  or  dis 
guise.  And  our  copperhead  traitors  at  home  having 
deprived  us  of  the  privilege  of  doing  this  in  a  quiet  way 
with  the  ballot,  we  are  more  determined  than  ever  to  do 
it  with  the  bullet  and  bayonet.  And  although  as  sol 
diers  we  earnestly  desire  peace,  we  here  resolve  on  the 
ground  of  our  battles  and  our  toils,  that  Grant,  Sher 
man,  Farragut,  and  Honest  Abe  shall  be  our  peace  com 
missioners,  instead  of  Vallandingham,  Seymour,  Pen- 
dleton  and  McClellan.  With  these  sentiments  glowing 
in  the  breast  of  nearly  every  "soldier  boy,"  the  old 
1 24th,  on  the  evening  of  the  24th  instant,  with  Gen. 
Maltby's  brigade  band  at  their  head,  organized  them 
selves  into  an  impromptu  mass  meeting,  before  the  regi 
mental  headquarters,  and  called  out  Col.  J.  H.  Howe 
to  perform  the  dissecting  process  upon  the  body  of 
modern  copperhead  Democracy,  which  he  did  in  splendid 
style,  in  an  earnest,  able  and  patriotic  speech  of  near  two 
hours'  length,  discussing  the  issues  now  before  the 
American  people,  smashing  the  Chicago  platform  to 
splinters,  cutting  McClellan's  letter  into  ribbons,  and 
exposing  the  hypocrisy  and  treason  of  the  so-called 
peace  party. 

"At  the  close  of  the  Colonel's  speech  the  following 
resolutions  were  adopted  with  a  rousing  cheer,  with  only 
one  dissenting  voice,  followed  with  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner"  by  the  band,  when  Chaplain  Howard  being  called 
out,  made  a  few  patriotic  remarks,  defining  his  political 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  239 

faith,  and  the  meeting  closed  with  a  deep  feeling  against 
those  who  have  disfranchised  their  defenders. 

Yours,  ADIN  MANN." 

<( Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  recent  Convention  at 
Chicago,  which  nominated  George  B.  McClellan  for  the 
Presidency,  as  an  assemblage  of  mercenary,  plotting 
traitors,  no  less  guilty  of  moral  treason  than  those  who 
are  in  arms  against  the  government,  and  seeking  its 
overthrow  and  destruction.  That  they  are  less  entitled 
to  our  respect  than  those  in  arms,  inasmuch  as  they  are 
wanting  in  courage  and  manhood  to  go  into  the  field  like 
men,  and  vindicate  the  principles  they  avow. 

'  'Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  platform  adopted  by 
that  Convention  as  a  craven-hearted  and  cowardly  sur 
render  of  the  government  to  its  wicked  enemies — a  base 
betrayal  of  the  holiest  cause  for  which  men  ever  drew 
the  sword,  and  an  open  insult  to  our  brave  comrades 
who  have  fallen  in  defense  of  the  Union. 

"Resolved,  That  having  been  long  separated  from  our 
homes  and  friends,  to  the  sacrifice  of  our  business,  pro 
perty,  and  all  we  hold  dear  on  earth  except  our  country, 
we  most  ardently  desire  peace,  and  should  hail  its  return 
with  inexpressible  joy  and  gratitude — but  such  peace 
must  be  a  just,  honorable,  and  permanent  one,  predica 
ted  upon  the  unconditional  restoration  of  the  Union, 
indemnity  for  the  government,  and  submission  to  its 
authority  throughout  the  land ;  and  no  propositions 


240  HISTORY  OF  THE 


should  be  made  or  entertained  which  should  not  clearly 
embrace  these  terms. 

''Resolved,  That  having  borne  the  flag  of  our  country 
on  many  a  weary  march,  and  amid  the  smoke  and  thun 
der  of  battle,  we  can  never  consent  to  see  it  trailed  in 
the  dust  at  the  feet  of  traitors,  and  we  can  never  consent 
to  sue  for  peace  at  the  feet  of  an  enemy  .who  began  this 
war  without  a  cause,  who  has  waged  it  for  unholy  pur 
poses,  and  whose  hands  are  red  with  the  blood  of  our 
countrymen  —  an  enemy  whom  we  have  beaten  and 
driven  into  the  last  ditch,  where  he  will  be  overwhelmed 
and  destroyed  in  a  brief  period,  if  the  people  are  true  to 
themselves  and  their  country,  and  sustain  like  men 
their  brethren  in  the  field." 

'  'Resolved,  That  the  shortest  and  surest  road  to  hon 
orable  and  permanent  peace,  is  through  a  vigorous 
prosecution  of  the  war;  and  to  that  end  the  army  should 
be  largely  increased,  and  its  ranks  kept  filled  ;  and  our 
enemies  thus  speedily  overwhelmed  by  superior  num 
bers,  instead  of  being  allowed  to  prolong  a  bloody  and 
cruel  war  year  after  year,  by  equal  numbers  employed 
against  them.  That  all  true  men  who  are  worthy  of  a 
good  government  are  willing  to  fight  for  it,  and  those 
who  are  unwilling  to  do  so  should  be  compelled  to,  as 
all  who  share  in  the  benefits  of  the  government  are  also 
bound  to  share  its  burdens,  and  if  necessary  take  up 
arms  in  its  defense." 

"Resolved,  That  we  should  regard  a  change  in  the 
administration  of  the  government  at  this  time  as  a  change 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  241 

of  front  in  the  face  of  the  enemy  ;  always  difficult  of 
execution  and  perilous  to  be  attempted,  as  likely  to 
break  our  lines  and  throw  us  into  confusion,  at  a  time 
when  we  should  present  an  unbroken  front  to  the  foe. " 

Resolved,  That  we  are  deeply  grateful  to  the  noble 
and  patriotic  w  omen  of  the  loyal  States,  fortheir  devo 
tion  to  the  cause  of  constitutional  liberty  and  the  Union, 
in  the  hour  of  its  peril ;  and  we  assure  them  that  they 
shall  never  need  defenders  so  long  as  the  'boys  in  blue' 
can  draw  a  sword  or  fix  a  bayonet ;  but  we  most  earn 
estly  ask  of  them  that  they  see  to  it  that  the  race  of  the 
traitors  who  are  seeking  to  destroy  the  Union,  and  the 
sneaks  and  cowards  who  will  not  fight  for  it,  be  not 
perpetuated  on  the  earth." 

Resolved,  That  we  do  not  worship  at  the  shrine  of  any 
man  or  party,  and  that  we  repudiate  the  whole  brood  of 
political  politicians  and  army  speculators,  who  are  only 
seeking  their  own  advantage  and  profit,  and  who  are 
fattening  upon  the  miseries  and  sorrows  of  their  country, 
but  we  will  strike  hands  with  and  sustain  all  who  are 
contending  earnestly  and  disinterestedly  for  the  restora 
tion  of  the  Union,  and  the  salvation  of  the  country, 
wherever  they  are  found. " 

"Entertaining  these  views,  we  are  in  favor  of  the 
platform  of  principles  adopted  at  the  Baltimore  Union 
Convention,  and  the  re-election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to 
the  Presidency  of  the  United  States." 


242  HISTORY  OF  THE 


In  this  connection  it  may  be  as  well  to  insert  the  fol 
lowing  from  the  Vicksburg  Herald,  expressing  the 
political  status  of  our  regiment,  at  the  time  the  Ohio 
soldiers  voted  : 

"At  a  vote  taken  in  the  I24th  regiment,  Illinois  in 
fantry,  the  'Excelsior'  regiment  of  the  old  3d  Division, 
1  7th  Army  Corps,  and  a  regiment  which  presents  one  of 
the  finest  organizations  of  Illinois  troops,  the  following 
was  the  result:  Whole  number  of  votes  cast,  516  — 
for  Abraham  Lincoln,  502  ;  for  George  B.  McClellan, 
14.  If  there  is  another  regiment  outside  the  veteran 
organizations  which  can  beat  this  vote  for  Uncle  Abra 
ham,  we  would  like  to  hear  from  it." 

And  still  we  jogged  along  in  the  service,  doing  little 
but  picket  duty.  The  Marine  Brigade  had  been  dis 
banded,  as  such,  and  put  on  shore  as  infantry.  Some  of 
these  refused  to  do  duty  and  were  arrested,  but  after  a 
little,  submitted.  And  now  on  dress  parade  an  order 
was  read  assigning  us  with  them  to  a  certain  portion  of 
the  fortifications  in  case  of  attack,  of  which  there  were 
continual  rumors.  Ihe  5th  United  States  Heavy  Artil 
lery,  colored,  under  Col.  Leib,  was  assigned  to  its  por 
tion  of  the  works,  and  one  night  a  scare  was  gotten  up 
for  drill  purposes,  and  the  old  Marine  Brigade,  with  the 
5th  United  States,  colored,  were  hurried  into  the  works 
as  though  Vicksburg  depended  upon  their  celerity  and 
valor,  but  we  were  permitted  to  sleep  through  it  all. 
On  the  25th  of  September  we  paid  our  respects  to  Gen- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  243 

eral  Dana,  at  his  headquarters,  and  on  the  2/th  he 
reviewed  all  the  white  troops  belonging  to  the  Post,  des 
pite  a  heavy  shower  that  fell  just  as  we  were  going 
to  the  review  ground,  and  so  passed  our  time  till 
October  I3th. 

Meantime  the  air  had  been  full  of  rumors  of  service  in 
the  field,  as  usual,  and  on  the  I2th  we  had  been  ordered 
to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness  to  march,  at  a  minute's 
notice.  But  no  orders  to  start  came  till  after  six  o'clock 
the  evening  of  the  I3th,  when  we  packed  up  light,  leav 
ing  our  tents  standing,  went  down  town  at  ten  o'clock, 
and  embarked  on  the  stern-wheeler,  "Shenango, "  bound 
up  the  river.  We  had  heard  we  were  to  go  to  Missouri, 
to  chase  Price,  and  then  home  in  November,  to  vote  ; 
but  all  these  pleasant  anticipations  were  dissipated  by 
the  announcement  that  our  destination  was  the  mouth 
of  White  river,  in  Arkansas,  where  a  large  force  was 
collecting  to  operate  against  Marmaduke,  under  General 
Pleasonton,  General  Dennis'  division  having  recently 
gone  there.  We  seemed  to  be  alone,  and  got  off  at  last 
a  little  past  one  o'clock  the  morning  of  the  I4th.  All 
the  forenoon  of  that  day  we  lay  at  Paw  Paw  Island, 
wooding,  where  some  of  our  boys  had  a  little  difficulty 
that  they  will  not  soon  forget,  for  the  apprehensions  it 
gave  them.  In  the  afternoon  a  white  crane  that  was 
hard  pressed  by  two  eagles  took  refuge  on  the  boat, 
says  Snedeker,  and  the  boys  caught  it. 

The  officers  ate  two  meals  on  the  boat,  at  seventy-five 
cents  each,  when  they  concluded  the  fare  was  too  poor 


244  HISTORY  OF  THE 


and  the  price  too  steep  to  endure  it.  So  the  officers' 
mess  was  set  to  running  on  board,  much  to  the  disgust 
of  the  steward  of  the  boat.  He  offered  to  do  better,  but 
his  day  of  boarding  grace  was  past,  and  we  preferred 
Dodge  to  anything  he  could  do. 

The  morning  of  the  i6th,  which  was  Sunday,  we  tied 
up  at  the  mouth  of  White  river,  Arkansas,  at  three 
o'clock,  and  lay  till  sunrise,  when  we  debarked,  stacked 
arms,  and  got  our  breakfast.  During  the  day  we  saw 
the  "Baltic"  and  "Nebraska"  come  in  loaded  with 
troops  from  Morganza,  and  the  "T.  E.  Tutt, "  load 
ed  with  cavalry  from  up  the  river,  which,  added  to 
the  forces  already  there,  made  quite  an  army.  We 
went  on  board  the  "Shenango"  at  night  to  sleep,  and 
expected  to  go  up  White  river,  from  that  move 
ment,  as  boats  were  going  up  loaded.  But  about  one 
o'clock  the  next  morning  we  were  ordered  off  in  a 
hurry,  as  some  other  regiment  wanted  her,  and  we 
rather  liked  the  move,  thinking,  perhaps,  the  steward 
had  had  something  to  do  with  it,  because  we  did  not 
patronize  him.  Soon  after  sunrise  we  were  moved  half 
a  mile  back  from  the  river,  and  went  into  camp,  while 
the  "Shenango"  loaded  up  with  some  other  regiment, 
and  was  off  for  Des  Arc,  or  some  point  above.  During 
the  day  the  29th  Illinois  arrived,  and  among  other  regi 
ments  we  saw  the  i6ist  New  York.  We  made  ourselves 
as  comfortable  as  we  could,  protecting  against  the  sun 
and  dew  with  brush,  and  awaited  developements.  Before 
night  we  were  ordered  to  be  ready  to  embark  on  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  245 


"Colonel  Cowles, "    for   White  river,  at  five  o'clock  the 
next  morning. 

The  1 8th.  reveille  beat  at  forty  minutes  past  three, 
and  at  five  we  were  moving  into  the  "Colonel  Cowles" 
according  to  orders,  fully  satisfied  that  the  interior  of 
Arkansas,  much  as  we  disliked  it.  was  to  be  our  desti 
nation  for  a  time.  The  officers  ate  breakfast  on  the 
boat,  finding  the  fare  better  than  on  the  "Shenango," 
and  the  Quartermaster  was  just  finishing  his  loading  pre 
paratory  to  a  start,  with  steam  up,  when  we  saw  a  fine 
steamer  coming  down  the  river  light,  and  with  great 
speed.  As  she  drew  near  we  were  all  interested  in  two 
things :  that  she  was  about  to  land,  and  there  were  no 
passengers  or  troops  on  board  of  her.  As  soon  as  the 
plank  was  out,  she  communicated  with  headquarters, 
and  immediately  an  Aid  came  dashing  up,  and  ordered 
us  from  the  "Colonel  Cowles"  onto  the  stranger — the 
"T.  L.  McGill,"  for  Memphis.  Forest  and  Chalmers 
were  threatening  them  there,  and  they  had  sent  for  re 
lief.  The  76th  Illinois  was  thrown  on  board  with  us, 
and  at  twenty-five  minutes  past  eleven  A.  M.,  we  were 
on  our  way  up  the  Father  of  Waters,  immensely  thank 
ful  for  the  scare,  since  it  had  changed  our  destination. 
The  8th  and  nth  Illinois,  and  the  3Oth  Missouri  fol 
lowed  on  the  "Baltic,"  and  the  sick  were  put  on  the 
"Nebraska"  for  the  same  place,  to  keep  them  with  their 
respective  commands.  This  was  one  of  the  strangest 
moves  of  our  history,  and  occasioned  no  little  specula- 


246  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

tion.  "What  does  it  all  mean?"  was  in  everybody's 
mouth.  The  afternoon,  and  the  run  at  high  speed, 
were  most  delightful.  The  river  wsa  full  of  wild  geese 
and  ducks,  and  we  passed  enormous  flocks  of  pelicans, 
which  contributed  to  keep  our  excitement  very  high, 
and  when  we  lay  down  to  sleep  at  a  late  hour,  after 
passing  Helena,  the  changes  of  the  day,  and  the  wild 
anticipations  for  the  morrow  almost  forbade  our  rest. 


[LLINOIS  INFANTRY.  247 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


Memphis.  —  Fort  Pickering-  and  box  cars.  —  Guarding  wood  choppers.  — 
An  alarm.  —  Lieut.  Spear  sick.  —  Off  on  the  "Magenta."  —  Capt.  Ken 
dall  left  behind.  —  Report  at  White  river.  —  On  to  Vicksburg.  —  Ran 
into  the  bank.  —  Home  again.  —  Relieve  the72d.  —  Guard  mounting.  — 
58th  Ohio  with  us.  —  72d  leave.  —  Move  into  their  camp.  —  Provost 
duty.  —  Lincoln  re-elected.  —  "Feu  de  joie.  "  —  Whisky  and  pistols.  — 
A  jubilee.  —  Chaplain  Calahan.  —  A  noble  record.  —  Women  in  trade.  — 
Sword  presentation.  —  Closed  the  year  with  a  funeral.  —  Changes. 


AT  11:30  A.  M.,  the  iQth  of  October,  we  reached 
the  badly  frightened  city  of  Memphis,  to  find  the 
scare  was  over.  After  sundry  reporting  we  were  per 
mitted  to  land,  and  marched  into  Fort  Pickering,  where 
we  were  stowed  away  in  a  number  of  freight  cars  stand 
ing  on  the  track.  The  officers  succeeded  in  obtaining 
quarters  in  a  contiguous  house,  and  we  proceeded  to 
make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  possible.  We  found 
Memphis  in  a  poor  condition  to  withstand  an  attack, 
and  there  was  much  cause  for  her  fright.  The  works 
were  totally  insufficient,  and  her  force  inadequate.  The 
colored  troops,  of  which  there  were  a  good  many,  were 
not  in  as  high  a  state  of  discipline  and  efficiency  as  those 


248  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


at  Vicksburg,  and  could  not  be  relied  upon  except  for 
numbers  and  pluck.  We  had  quite  an  exciting  time  the 
morning  of  the  2Oth,  being  aroused  at  four  o'clock,  and 
having  battalion  drill  till  daylight.  The  whole  of  our 
new  force  was  in  line  ;  but  just  what  it  was  for  we  never 
found  out,  unless  it  was  to  impress  somebody  with  the 
consequence  of  our  presence,  and  the  celerity  of  our 
movements.  The  next  day  we  drilled  again  awhile,  in 
order  to  keep  our  blood  stirring,  as  we  had  nothing  else 
to  do.  But  the  22d  we  were  sent  five  miles  outside  to 
guard  wood  choppers  from  rebel  depredations.  We 
reached  quarters  again  a  little  past  four,  and  in  the  eve 
ning  had  a  scare,  bringing  us  all  out  under  arms.  But 
it  was  a  false  alarm.  We  had  no  chance  to  do  any 
fighting. 

Lieutenant  G.  A.  Spear,  of  company  H,  was  taken 
sick  while  with  us  here  in  officers'  quarters,  and  grew 
rapidly  worse.  Dr.  Kay  did  all  he  could  for  him,  but 
without  avail.  And  when  we  were  ordered  on  board 
the  "Magenta,"  on  the  24th,  having  done  all  we  could 
for  Memphis,  he  was  unable  to  go  with  us,  and  de 
termined  to  go  to  the  officers'  hospital.  Capt.  Kendall 
started  with  him,  and  being  delayed  some  way,  the  boat 
swung  out  and  left  him.  The  Captain  soon  rejoined  us, 
but  we  never  saw  Lieut.  Spear  again.  He  died  in  hos 
pital  six  days  after  we  left. 

The  "Magenta,"  on  which  we  were  now  embarked,  was 
a  new  and  splendid  boat,  and  ran  finely,  but  was  so 
heavily  loaded  when  she  reached  Memphis,  that  she 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  249 


ought  not  to  have  received  us.  As  it  was,  we  had  to 
leave  our  ambulance  and  one  six-mule  team  for  want  of 
room. 

We  reported  at  the  mouth  of  White  river  at  one 
o'clock  P.  M.  on  the  25th,  and  were  then  ordered  to 
repair  immediately  to  Vicksburg,  which  was  immensely 
satisfactory  to  us  all.  So  we  did  not  debark,  and  our 
good  steamer  swung  out  again  with  us  at  2:20,  and  pro 
ceeded  on  her  way  down  the  river.  In  the  night  a  very 
heavy  rain  and  storm  came  on  us,  and  made  it  quite 
lively  for  a  time.  The  rudder  of  the  boat  received  some 
damage,  and  as  a  consequence  we  ran  squarely  into  the 
bank  a  few  miles  above  Vicksburg,  the  evening  oi  the 
26th,  and  were  pretty  badly  scared.  It  was  very 
dark  and  the  Captain  of  the  boat  getting  the  im 
pression  that  we  were  sinking,  ordered  the  women 
into  the  "Texas"  for  safety.  That  produced  a  panic 
among  the  other  passengers,  and  not  a  little  affected  the 
soldiers.  But  the  pilot  had  ordered  the  engines  revers 
ed  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  danger,  so  that  the  shock  was 
very  light  to  what  it  would  have  been,  and  soon  finding 
the  boat  was  not  taking  water,  quiet  was  restored,  and 
we  moved  on  down  as  though  nothing  bad  happened. 
We  reached  Vicksburg  at  IIP.  M.,  and  marched  out  to 
camp  at  midnight  through  mud  shoe  deep.  Late  as  it 
was,  our  mail,  which  had  accumulated  in  our  thirteen 
days  absence,  had  to  be  distributed,  and  doubtless  for 
the  most  part  read  before  retiring.  After  resting  and 
fixing  up  one  day,  the  guards  and  detailed  men  from  the 


250  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

72d  Illinois  were  relieved  by  us  on  the  28th,  and  it  be 
came  a  fixed  fact  that  we  were  assigned  to  provost  duty 
in  their  place.  And  so  on  the  29th  day  of  October  we 
were  further  initiated  into  all  the  mysteries  and  techni 
calities  of  guard  mounting,  which  became  our  morning 
pastime  every  other  day,  from  that  time  till  the  25th  of 
February,  1865. 

Associated  with  us  in  provost  duty  was  the  58th 
Ohio,  with  which  we  passed  the  next  four  months  very 
pleasantly,  relieving  each  other  every  alternate  morning, 
thus  having  a  day  on  and  a  day  off  duty  continuously, 
for  the  whole  of  both  regiments. 

October  3<Dth  the  /2d  broke  camp  and  embarked  on 
the  steamer  "Continental."  It  being  our  off  day,  we 
very  generally  accompanied  them  to  the  boat,  parting 
with  them  with  sincere  regrets.  They  were  very  nicely 
fixed  for  the  winter,  and  left  their  quarters  with  a  feel 
ing  of  sadness.  But  what  was  their  loss  was  our  gain, 
for  the  next  day  we  moved  into  their  camp,  spreading 
our  tents  over  their  floors  and  bunks  and  around  their 
brick  chimneys,  with  which  they  had  taken  so  much 
pains.  And  as  there  was  no  one  to  take  our  camp,  we 
naturally  added  our  lumber  to  what  they  left,  which  ma 
terially  improved  our  condition,  making  us  cook-houses, 
tables,  etc. ,  till  we,  as  soldiers,  had  but  little  more  to 
desire.  We  were  also  well  into  the  city,  so  that  we  had 
but  a  short  distance  to  travel.  Most  of  our  men  and  all 
the  officers  could  come  home,  some  time  in  the  day,  for 
their  meals.  But  while  all  this  was  verv  nice,  but  few 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  251 


of  us  liked  provost  duty.  It  was  not  up  to  the  standard 
of  the  proud  old  "Excelsior"  regiment.  There  was  no 
dash,  no  honor,  no  military  renown  in  it.  We  were  but 
an  armed  police  on  our  beats  all  over  the  city.  We 
were  stationed  in  jails,  at  refugee  quarters,  steamboat 
landings,  wood  yards,  stables  and  theatres,  and  had  to 
hover  around  drinking  holes,  gambling  dens,  and  broth 
els.  We  had  to  become  posted  in  all  the  iniquity  of 
the  city,  patrol  all  the  streets,  and  come  in  contact  with 
all  its  villains,  and  such  a  life  can  but  be  demorali 
zing  to  the  average  soldier.  If  we  had  been  permitted 
to  choose,  there  were  very  few  of  our  number  but  would 
have  gladly  gone  to  the  front,  despite  its  peril,  and  the 
leaving  of  our  comfortable  quarters  at  this  season  of  the 
year. 

On  the  Qth  of  November  Gen.  Morgan  L.  Smith, 
formerly  Colonel  of  the  8th  Missouri,  assumed  command 
of  the  Post  of  Vicksburg,  which  he  retained  during 
nearly  all  the  rest  of  our  stay,  though  Gen  Dana  still 
commanded  the  District. 

On  Sunday  evening,  November  I3th,  our  hearts  were 
gladdened  by  the  intelligence  from  the  North  that 
Lincoln  was  undoubtedly  re-elected,  and  an  extract  from 
a  private  letter  of  the  i/th,  is  interesting  reading  in 
1879,  wnen  rebel  Brigadiers  have  so  nearly  captured 
our  government,  and  we  give  it  place : 

"  The  news  grows  better  and  better  with  every  arri 
val.  A  two-thirds  majority  in  Congress,  a  clear  ma 
jority  of  the  whole  electoral  vote  given  to  Lincoln,  so 


252  HlSTORV    OF    THE 


as  to  convince  the  world,  had  every  State  voted,  rebels 
and  all,  he  would  still  have  been  elected  ;  Union  Gov 
ernors  in  New  York  and  Missouri,  a  Union  Senator  in 
the  place  of  Richardson  in  Illinois,  liberty  written  so 
high  that  no  copperhead  hand  can  ever  reach  it  to  mar  its 
beauty,  our  long  list  of  Union  Generals  sustained,  Grant, 
Sherman.  Sheridan,  Butler,  Farragut,  Burnside,  Hook 
er,  Dix,  Sickles,  Hancock,  and  our  own  glorious  Lo 
gan,  all  of  whom  were  democrats.  O.  it  is  good.  Our 
graves  have  not  been  dug  down  here  for  naught,  neither 
has  our  blood  flowed  in  vain.  Widows  can  rejoice 
and  orphans  smile,  while  old  and  young  can  shout  to 
gether  for  joy.  '  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow'!" 

On  the  I4th,  at  five  o'clock  p.  M.,  a  "feu  de  joie" 
was  fired,  of  35  guns  from  each  battery  in  the  line  of 
our  works,  twelve  in  number,  making  420  guns,  in 
honor  of  our  President's  re  election.  We  richly  enjoyed 
the  republican  thunder  as  the  9,  10,  and  n-inch  guns 
roared  as  if  they  would  split  their  throats.  It  was  real 
secesh  squelching.  The  following  was  the  order  for  it : 

"HEADQUARTERS  DISTRICT  OF  VICKSBURG, 

VlCKSBURG,     MlSS.,     NOV.     14,    1864. 

Circular.  ] 

A  National  Salute  will  be  fired  under  direction  of 
Colonel  Leib,  from  the  batteries  of  Fort  Grant,  at  five 
p.  M.  to  day.  to  express  the  joy  of  the  troops  at  the 
success  of  the  Union  cause  in  the  late  Presidential 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  253 


election,  and  their  great  satisfaction  at  this  new  proof 
that  the  people  of  this  country  will  stand  by  the  army, 
till  this  war  is  completely  fought  out  and  the  rebellion 
entirely  crushed. 

By  command  of 

MAJOR  GENERAL  N.  J.   T.    DANA. 

(Signed)   F.    W.    Fox, 

Assistant  Adjutant  General. 

The  1 6th  of  November  a  disgraceful  and  tragic  affair 
took  place  at  the  headquarters  of  Colonel  Osband,  of  the 
3d  United  States  colored  cavalry,  who  was  then  com 
manding  a  brigade  in  Vicksburg.  The  details  will  be  of 
interest  to  ail  who  knew  of  it  at  the  time  it  occurred, 
and  are  from  a  paper  written  by  the  Chaplain  to  a  tem 
perance  organization  at  home  : 

"The  social  glass — what  hast  thou  done? 

"Capt.  Alexander  S.  Jessup,  of  the  5th  Illinois  cav 
alry,  and  Lieut.  Maurice  Dee,  of  the  nth  Illinois 
cavalry,  were  firm  and  devoted  friends.  Having  been 
associated  together  in  the  toils  and  hardships  of  many 
an  arduous  campaign,  and  being  alike  genial,  loyal  and 
brave,  their  association  became  very  intimate,  until  it 
was  a  subject  of  general  remark,  and  each  was  wont  to 
say  of  the  other,  'he  is  my  best  friend. '  They  were 
doing  duty  on  the  stafifof  Col.  Osband,  of  the  3d  United 
States  colored  cavalry,  who  was  at  that  time  command 
ing  a  brigade  ;  when  on  the  i6th  day  of  November  last, 
at  Col.  Osband's  headquarters  in  Vicksburg,  they,  with' 


254  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 


others,  became  merry  over  their  cups.  The  drinking 
was  merely  social,  without  any  thought  of  excess,  and 
the  whole  party  would  have  scorned  the  imputation  of 
drunkenness:  But  as  they  became  exhilerated,  the  con 
versation  turned  upon  the  fact  of  Capt.  Jessup's  being 
an  unerring  pistol  shot,  accompanied  with  the  usual 
amount  of  bravado  on  such  subjects.  At  last  a  proposi 
tion  was  made  to  test  the  matter,  a  la  Tell,  and  Lieut. 
Dee  volunteered  to  place  a  tin  goblet  on  his  head  for  the 
Captain  to  shoot  off.  He  took  his  position  against  the 
side  of  the  room,  with  the  goblet  turned  downwards  on 
his  head,  and  his  friend  raised  the  pistol  to  fire.  Just  at 
that  moment  the  Lieutenant,  whose  position  had  been 
scarcely  erect,  straightened  himself  up  in  his  partially 
drunken  bravery,  making,  by  the  extension  of  his  neck, 
back  and  limbs,  a  difference  of  about  two  inches  in  his 
height.  Too  late  was  the  movement  :  The  Captain's 
finger  was  on  the  trigger,  the  hammer  fell,  and  the  fatal 
bullet  came  crashing  through  the  Lieutenant's  brain. 
He  fell  in  the  agonies  of  death,  and  never  spoke  again. 
The  Captain,  in  agony,  exclaimed,  "My  God,  I  have 
killed  my  best  friend  !"  and  placed  his  pistol  to  his 
own  head.  By  the  exertions  of  those  present,  the  rash 
act  of  suicide  was  prevented,  and  his  wretched  life  is 
still  spared.  A  cloud  has  settled  down  over  him  darker 
than  the  grave.  The  consequences  of  that  hour's  indul 
gence  have  ruined  him  to  his  country,  to  his  family,  to 
his  friends,  to  his  own  consience,  and  perhaps  to  his  God. 
Though  living,  he  were  better  dead,  he  says,  and  not 


ILLINOIS  INFANTKY.  255 

all  the  waters  of  the  earth  can  wash  the  stain  upon  his 
soul  away. 

I  saw  the  mournful  procession  as  it  followed  Lieut. 
Dee  to  the  grave.  All  the  officers  ol  his  regiment 
were  there  in  their  sorrow,  and  as  they  rode  slowly 
along,  following  the  hearse  with  their  sabres  reversed,  I 
could  but  think  of  the  cause.  I  pointed  to  the  sad  cav 
alcade  and  said,  'Whisky  has  done  this,'  promising  my 
self  to  be  more  devoted  to  the  cause  of  temperance  than 
ever  before.  I  also  felt  glad  that  there  were  schools  of 
temperance  through  the  north,  where  earnest  women 
and  brave  men  were  educating  the  rising  generation  to 
shun  such  a  fate." 

On  the  night  of  the  3<Dth  of  November,  an  election 
jubilee  was  held  in  the  Methodist  Church  in  Vicksburg, 
nominally  under  the  auspices  of  the  Union  League,  but 
which  was  largely  controlled  by  the  officers  of  the  I24th. 
The  Glee  Club  was  from  our  regiment,  and  consisted  of 
Captains  Field,  Merriman  and  Newland,  Adj't.  Smith 
and  Serg't.  Kent,  under  the  lead  of  Chaplain  Howard. 
The  report  of  the  occasion,  from  the  Vicksburg  Herald, 
is  inserted  entire  : 

"  A  GREAT  JUBILEE! 


A     PERFECT    SUCCESS! 


"According  to  announcement  made  yesterday,  a  large 
concourse  of  citizens  and  soldiers  assembled  at  the 
Methodist  Church  at  seven  o'clock  last  evening,  to  talk 


256  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241-11 


and  rejoice  over  the  victory  which  has  been  achieved  in 
the  re-election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  to  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States.  The  celebration,  if  we  may  so 
call  it,  was  gotten  up  by  the  Vicksburg  Council  of  the 
Union  League,  and  was  one  of  the  finest  of  the  kind 
we  ever  witnessed  in  the  South.  It  was  a  most  perfect 
success,  and  was  conducted  with  unbounded  unanimity 
and  good  feeling.  The  officers  and  members  of  the 
Union  League  appeared  in  the  full  regalia  adopted  by 
the  Vicksburgh  Council,  and  presented  a  very  fine 
appearance.  Captain  Curtiss,  our  Provost  Marshall, 
and  a  more  worthy  gentleman  or  officer  is  seldom  met 
with,  is  President  of  the  Council,  and  presided  over 
the  meeting. 

"Long  before  the  hour  announced  for  the  exercises 
to  begin  arrived,  every  available  niche  of  room  in  the 
church  was  filled  with  as  intelligent  and  patriotic  an 
audience  as  ever  assembled  in  this  city.  The  ladies, 
and  'God  bless  them,'  gave  their  smiling  presence  and 
cheer  to  the  occasion. 

"The  Post  Band,  under  direction  of  Prof.  Slater, 
discoursed  the  ever-popular  'Yankee  Doodle,'  after 
which  prayer  was  offered  by  the  Chaplain,  the  Rev. 
A.  Mygatt.  The  President  then  introduced  to  the  au 
dience  Col.  Howe,  of  the  I2z|.th  Illinois  Infantry,  who 
spoke  for  half  an  hour  sentiments  of  eloquent  patriot 
ism,  which  called  forth  bursts  of  applause  from  his 
audience.  He  began  by  saying  that  he  stood  before 
his  audience  in  obedience  to  orders — he  was  one  of  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  257 

'chaps  in  blue,'  whose  duty  it  was  to  obey  orders.  He 
referred  most  touchingly  to  the  change  of  circumstances 
which  has  taken  place  in  this  city — to  the  Fourth  of 
July,  when  the  city  capitulated — when  the  glorious  old 
Union  Flag  waved  in  triumph  from  the  dome  of  the 
Court  House  ;  but  he  thought  that  event  dwindled  into 
insignificance  when  contrasted  with  this  occasion.  It 
was  not  in  the  re-election  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  that  we 
have  to  rejoice  most,  but  the  triumph  of  Union  and 
Liberty  over  disunion  and  slavery. 

"We  made  a  full  phonographic  report  of  his  speech, 
but  regret  the  lateness  of  the  hour  at  which  we  write 
will  not  permit  us  to  give  a  more  extended  notice  of  it. 

"The  Glee  Club  sang  a  most  appropriate  and  beau 
tiful  song,  entitled  'A  Thousand  Years.' 

"Major  Dickey,  Paymaster  in  the  United  States  Army, 
was  next  introduced  and  was  received  amid  bursts  of 
applause. 

Chaplain  Howard,  of  the  1 24th  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  Chaplain  Calahan,  of  the  48th  United  States  colored 
infantry,  made  excellent  speeches. 

Then  A.  Mygatt  was  announced  as  an  old  citizen  of 
Vicksburg,  and  a  thorough  Union  man,  and  was  receiv 
ed  with  rapturous  applause  as  he  related  the  trials  of 
Union  men  in  this  city,  who  fought  against  secession, 
and  stood  true  to  the  old  flag.  He  regarded  slavery  as 
the  cause  of  the  rebellion,  and  that  with  its  death,  trea 
son  dies  out  to  be  heard  of  no  more.  He  pictured,  in 


258  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/1-11 

glowing  terms,  the  glorious  future  for  redeemed  and  free 
Mississippi. 

"Major  Barnes,  of  the  5Oth  United  States  colored  in 
fantry,  was  called  upon  and  responded  in  a  few  brief  and 
patriotic  remarks,  after  which  the  assemblage  gave  three 
cheers  for  "honest  old  Abe,"  and  our  brave  Generals 
and  soldiers  in  the  field. 

'  'The  exercises  were  interspersed  with  songs  from  the 
Glee  Club.  The  assemblage  retired,  with  the  band 
playing.  We  regret  our  inability  to  give  the  exercises 
of  the  occasion  a  more  extended  and  deserving  notice. 
It  was  one  which  has  never  been  witnessed  in  this  city 
before — one  which  the  spirit  of  American  institutions 
calls  forth  wherever  it  is  free  to  act." 

The  songs  we  sung,  in  addition  to  the  one  mentioned 
above,  were,  "The  New  Union — Now  and  Forever," 
"The  Ship  of  State,"  "Hail  Columbia,"  "Battle  Cry  of 
Freedom,"  "Uncle  Sam's  Funeral,"  "What's  the  Mat 
ter?"  "Gay  and  Happy  Suckers,"  and  "Young 
Napoleon." 

Chaplain  Calahan  achieved  a  remarkable  success  at 
the  opening  of  his  speech  on  this  occasion,  not  men 
tioned  in  the  report.  He  is  very  far  from  being  a  hand 
some  man,  and  when  he  chooses,  can  look  almost  hide 
ous,  with  his  bristly  hair  standing  out  straight,  all  over 
his  head,  and  an  ugly  frown  upon  his  brow.  Upon 
taking  the  pulpit  and  putting  on  his  worst  look,  he  said, 
"just  imagine  me  to  be  the  devil."  The  effect  was 
electric,  overwhelming.  We  shouted  and  roared,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  259 

clapped  hands  and  stamped.  It  was  so  easy,  so  natural 
to  do  as  he  said.  When  order  was  partially  restored 
the  vast  audience  would  break  out  again,  and  again. 
At  last  he  spoke  once  more,  but  only  to  repeat  his 
words  to  be  interrupted  by  the  same  wild  cheering.  It 
was  a  perfect  whirlwind,  from  which  it  seemed  impossi 
ble  to  recover.  But  when  finally  he  was  permitted  to 
finish  his  remark,  it  proved  to  be  this:  "Not  that  I  am 
ambitious  in  that  direction,  but  if  I  was  the  devil,  what 
do  you  think  I  would  do  with  the  copperheads?  I 
would  put  them  into  the  lowest,  lonesomest,  darkest, 
hottest  corner  of  hell,  and  I  would  not  permit  a  decent, 
respectable  devil  to  speak  to  one  of  them  to  all  eternity.  " 
The  effect  of  such  an  introduction  can  be  better  imagined 
than  described. 

Not  far  from  this  time,  or  soon  after  entering  upon 
provost  duty,  the  Vicksburg  Herald  paid  its  respects  to 
us,  as  a  regiment,  as  follows  ; 

"A  NOBLE  RECORD. 

"  The  1 24th  regiment  Illinois  infantry,  now  encamped 
at  this  place,  has  a  record  of  which  the  noble  regiment 
may  well  be  proud.  It  has  been  in  service  nearly  three 
years,  and  in  a  contest  for  superiority  in  drill,  was 
awarded  the  banner  over  all  competitors,  in  the  division 
to  which  it  belonged,  the  3d  division,  I7th  Army  Corps. 
In  battle  it  has  proven  worthy  of  the  great  State  from 
which  it  hails,  and  its  deeds  of  valor,  stand  as  enduring 


260  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


records  of  the  heroism  of  the  officers  and  men  compos 
ing  it.  But  it  has,  if  possible,  a  record  more  to  be 
boasted  of  than  that  of  valor  or  discipline.  Although 
so  long  a  time  has  elapsed  since  its  formation  as  a  regi 
ment,  and  notwithstanding  the  diversity  of  character  of 
its  numerous  members,  and  the  perilous  scenes  of  trial 
and  temptation  it  has  passed  through  during  this  excit 
ing  war,  it  makes  the  proud  and  glorious  boast,  that  not 
a  man  in  the  I24th  Illinois  infantry  has  ever  been 
brought  before  a  general  court  martial  to  be  tried  for  a 
violation  of  the  Articles  of  War,  or  any  General  Order. 
"Is  it  not  a  noble  record  —  and  may  not  the  'Sucker 
State'  point  with  pride  and  pleasure  to  this  gallant  regi 
ment,  and  say,  'these  are  my  jewels.  ' 

"May  every  member  of  the  regiment  continue  to  feel 
that  its  honor  is  in  his  keeping,  so  that  when  it  shall 
have  fulfilled  its  allotted  time  of  service,  it  may  make 
the  same  proud  boast  as  now.  'No  member  of  the  1  24th 
has  ever  been  before  a  court  martial'." 

One  of  the  pleasant  or  unpleasant  features  of  provost 
duty  was  the  arresting  of  secession  women,  who  had 
become  experts  at  smuggling  and  carrying  rebel  mails, 
and  our  officers  and  men  had  to  be  continually  on  tli£ 
alert  for  them.  Thirteen,  who  had  been  caught,  were 
sent  outside  the  lines  at  one  time,  and  forbidden  to  re 
turn.  As  an  indication  of  southern  feeling  against  the 
arming  of  the  negroes,  it  is  affirmed  that  a  rebel  citizen 
prisoner  cut  off  his  hand  with  an  axe,  in  jail  No.  I,  to 
avoid  going  out  to  work  under  a  colored  guard.  Or  it 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  261 

may  have  been  to  avoid  the  work  alone.      Few  men  in 
the  south  have  any  great  relish  for  manual  labor. 

The  evening  of  December  /th  the  non-commissioned 
officers  of  the  regiment,  headed  by  Serg't-Maj.  Rich 
ards,  and  Quartermaster-Serg't.  Durley,  presented  Col. 
Howe  with  a  very  beautiful  and  costly  sword.  Richards 
made  the  speech,  the  Colonel  responded  very  happily, 
and  it  was  a  time  of  general  good  feeling 

With  us  the  year  1864  closed  with  the  funeral  of  Sam 
uel  E.  Allard,  of  company  F,  another  of  our  brave  and 
true  men.  We  had  all  become  weary  of  carrying 
our  heroes,  one  by  one,  up  the  valley  to  their  last  rest 
ing  place,  so  frequently  did  we  have  to  do  it.  And  yet 
we  were  comparatively  free  from  sickness,  and  had  not 
half  as  many  funerals  as  the  cavalry  regiments  of  Gen. 
Washburn's  command.  Our  camp  was  where  we  saw 
them  all  go  by,  and  heard  every  volley  fired,  so  we  were 
in  possession  of  the  facts. 

Quite  a  number  of  changes  took  place  among  the 
officers  in  our  regiment  in  the  year  1864.  Surgeon  An- 
gell,  after  suffering  some  time  with  sickness,  was  honor- 
bly  discharged  the  1st  of  June,  and  Ass't.  Surgeon  Kay 
was  promoted  to  Surgeon  July  ist.  Second  Ass't.  Sur 
geon  Jassoy  was  dismissed  the  service  November  i/th. 
We  never  knew  much  about  the  facts  of  the  latter  case, 
but  presume  the  reiterated  political  sentiments  of  the 
doctor  had  something  to  do  with  it.  He  denied  being 
a  copperhead,  but  was  most  heartily  opposed  to  the  ad 
ministration  of  Lincoln,  which  made  it  very  unpleasant  for 


262  HISTORY  OF  THE   I24TH 

him  in  military  circles,  and  in  a  regiment  so  pronounced 
and  radical  as  ours,  and  doubtless  some  of  his  uncalled  for 
remarks  hastened  his  departure.  Dr.  Angell  and  Dr. 
Jassoy  were  both  skillful  and  able  men,  and  had  many 
friends  in  the  regiment,  and  having  both  since  died,  we 
feel  like  speaking  of  them  with  the  utmost  respect  and 
tenderness. 

Following  the  promotion  of  Maj.  Mann,  in  1863,  1st 
Lieut.  Edwin  F.  Stafford  was  promoted  to  Captain,  2d 
Lt  F.  C.  FanVlack  to  1st  Lt. ,  and  Sergt.  Christopher 
H.  Keller  to  2d  Lieut,  of  company  B,  the  first  two 
dating  February  8th,  and  the  last  one  July  26th. 

More  recruits  having  reached  us,  company  C  bacame 
entitled  to  a  2d  Lieutenant,  and  Serg't.-Maj.  John  L. 
C.  Richards  was  promoted  to  that  office,  dating  Decem 
ber  5th. 

Capt.  Sigley,  of  company  E,  resigned  June  2/th,  and 
1st  Lieut.  Reese  L.  Merriman  was  promoted  to  fill  va 
cancy  August  5th.  September  loth  Serg't.  Win.  H. 
Anderson  was  promoted  to  1st  Lieutenant. 

Company  F  becoming  entitled  to  a  2d  Lieutenant,  1st 
Serg't.  Edward  R.  Breckons  was  promoted  thereto  De 
cember  3  ist. 

Capt.  Scudder,  of  company  G,  resigned  June  29th, 
and  ist  Lieut.  Benton  Pratt  became  Captain  August 
27th,  and  2d  Lieut.  John  W.  Mosby  became  ist  Lieut. 
September  2/th. 

ist  Lieut.  Theodore  Potter,  of  company  H,  resigned 
December  26th,  1863,  but  his  papers  were  not  returned 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  263 

approved  till  nearly  a  month  later,  and  2d  Lieut.  G.  A. 
Spear  was  mustered  1st  Lieut.  March  gth,  1864;  He 
died  October  3Oth,  and  1st  Serg't.  Freeman  L.  Camp 
bell  was  promoted  to  1st  Lieut.  December  29th. 

ist  Lieut.  Elijah  Borton,  of  company  I,  resigned  June 
25th,  and  Serg't.  Joel  H.  Hasten  was  promoted  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  Date  of  muster  not  given. 

Companies  A,  D  and  K  remained  unchanged  through 
the  year. 

Serg't.  John  W.  Wharton,  of  company  G,  was  made 
Sergeant- Major  of  the  regiment,  to  fill  vacancy,  occa 
sioned  by  the  promotion  of  Serg't-Maj.  Richards. 


264  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER   XV11I. 


Ladies  in  camp. — Style. — Detached  service. — Major  Mann  on  the 
works. — Cavalry  movements. — Troops  passing. — Colored  regiments 
go  down  the  river. — More  recruits. — Gen.  Canby  in  command  below. 
— Move  at  last. — On  the  "Grey  Eagle." — Mew  Orleans. — Camp  Chal- 
mette. — Ladies  with  us. — "No  bottom. " — 72d  again. — Reece  back. — 
Enjoy  the  city. — On  the  "Guiding  Star." — A  jam. — Over  the  bar. — 
Sea  sick. — Dauphin  Island. 


T  T  TE  BEGAN  the  last  year  of  our  service,  1865,  in 
V  V  Vicksburg,  under  most  favorable  circumstances. 
Col.  Howe,  Dr.  Kay,  Captains  Newland  and  Sanders, 
and  Lieut.  Mosby  were  favored  with  the  company  of 
their  wives,  who  did  very  much  to  enliven  and  cheer  all 
our  military  circles,  being  present  with  us  at  meals,  in 
the  officers'  mess,  and  forming  the  nuclei  of  little  even 
ing  gatherings  in  our  different  quarters.  Some  of  the 
men,  too,  had  their  wives  with  them,  prominent  among 
whom  was  Mrs.  Henry  H.  Evans,  of  Aurora,  who  will 
long  be  remembered  by  many  a  soldier  whose  hospital 
life  she  cheered  by  her  kindly  presence. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  265 

Our  men  came  to  discharge  their  duties  with  a  pre 
cision,  ease  and  grace,  which  can  only  be  acquired  by 
long  practice,  and  in  general  appearance,  whether  on 
parade  or  duty,  were  the  peers  of  any  in  the  service. 
Having  nothing  better  to  do,  we  "ran  to  style,"  as  was 
often  facetiously  remarked.  And  this  was  sometimes 
made  the  occasion  for  a  little  pleasantry,  as  for  instance, 
Allaire  says  in  his  diary  of  January  2/th  :  "Drew  up  a 
petition  to  Col.  Howe  to  request  him  to  order  P.  B. 
Durley,  Quartermaster-Sergeant,  to  wear  his  chevrons. 
He  is  putting  on  more  style  than  his  position  warrants." 
Durley  was  wearing  a  military  blouse  without  decora 
tions,  which  might  lead  some  to  take  him  for  a  commis 
sioned  officer,  especially  as  he  was  a  man  of  fine  and 
commanding  appearance,  and  ''Charley,"  as  his  equal  in 
rank,  gave  him  this  little  "nudge."  Our  rations  and 
supplies  as  officers  and  men,  were  those  of  garrison  ser 
vice,  wood  and  coal  being  issued  to  us  as  though  we 
were  in  Fort  Hamilton  in  New  York  harbor. 

Many  of  our  officers  were  on  detached  service  while 
here,  as  the  regiments  for  provost  guard  hadless  call  for 
officers  than  men.  Col.  Howe  and  Capt.  Field  were 
absent  very  much  of  the  time  on  military  commissions 
and  courts  martial.  Captains  N.  H.  Pratt,  Stafford, 
Kendall,  Newland,  Griffith,  and  others,  also  had  their 
turns,  and  Major  Mann  was  permanently  detached  as 
engineer  in  charge  of  all  the  defenses  of  Vicksburg,  not 
being  with  us  at  the  muster  out  of  the  regiment. 


266  HISTORY  OF  THE 


We  had  not  passed  far  into  the  year  before  Vicksburg 
became  unusually  stirring  as  a  military  point.  On  the 
5th  of  January,  General  Grierson,  with  his  famous  cav 
alry  raiders  paid  us  a  visit,  having  left  Memphis  on  -the 
2  ist  of  December  previous.  They  brought  in  about 
600  prisoners  and  800  horses  and  mules,  and  remained 
with  us  a  few  days,  though  the  prisoners  went  up  the 
river  at  once.  On  the  iith  other  cavalry  arrived,  and 
the  city  was  full  of  them,  but  on  the  I3th  they  nearly 
all  left  by  boat,  making  the  levee  lively  for  a  while. 

Early  in  February  troops  began  to  arrive  from  above, 
belonging  to  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith's  command,  sometimes 
two  or  three  boat  loads  coming  in  a  day,  until  the  note 
of  preparation  for  some  where  was  heard  in  every 
direction. 

About  the  same  time  the  colored  regiments  began  to 
leave  for  below,  four  going  in  one  day,  leaving  their  bar 
racks  for  the  temporary  occupancy  of  the  newly  arrived 
troops.  We  were  mixed  up  in  the  rumors  occasioned 
by  these  movements,  and  were  one  day  going  to  the 
front  somewhere,  while  the  next  would  send  us  into  the 
empty  barracks  to  stay.  Meantime  the  hum  continued, 
"Smith's  guerrillas,"  as  they  were  called,  had  nearly  all 
come  down  the  river,  the  colored  troops,  save  Colonel 
Leib's  regiment,  had  nearly  all  gone,  and  we  were  still 
mounting  guard  and  patroling  the  city  as  though  its  ex 
istence  depended  alone  upon  us.  In  fact,  Gen.  M.  L. 
Smith,  who  now  commanded  the  district,  Gen.  Wash- 
burn,  who  was  in  some  way  identified  with  the  troops, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  267 

and  Gen.  Maltby,  who  had  just  come  into  the  command 
of  the  Post,  all  said  we  could  not  be  spared.  Of  course 
we  believed  them,  and  made  up  our  minds  to  stay.  So 
Allaire  made  garden,  for  hospital  use  in  the  spring  and 
summer,  sending  home  for  seeds,  and  when  we  left,  had 
peas  two  inches  high,  and  lettuce,  corn,  etc. ,  growing 
finely,  with  flowering  plants  set  out  in  his  hospital 
yard. 

Recruits,  too,  came,  company  A  receiving  twenty, 
and  other  companies  a  few,  and  we  proceeded  to  initiate 
them  into  all  the  mysteries  of  provost  duty,  as  though 
that  was  all  the  service  they  were  to  see,  while  they 
were  delighted  with  it  as  a  very  safe  way  of  saving  their 
country.  On  the  whole,  probably  at  no  time  in  our 
service,  was  our  future  more  clearly  indicated  than  at 
Vicksburg  during  the  early  part  of  the  year.  We  had 
a  desire  to  go  to  the  front,  most  of  us  disliking  the 
effeminacy  of  our  existing  life,  and  when  we  learned 
Gen.  Canby,  who  was  in  command  of  the  Department 
of  the  Gulf,  was  preparing  to  move  against  Mobile,  our 
military  ardor  and  patriotism  began  to  boil.  But  we 
were  mixed  up  in  everything  where  we  were.  Colonel 
Howe  was  President  of  a  General  Court  Martial,  whose 
work  was  unfinished ;  Major  Mann  was  on  the  works ; 
Reece  was  at  headquarters,  and  our  men  were  running 
hospitals,  prisons,  homes,  boats,  corrals,  commissions, 
offices  and  churches,  and  we  could  not  go.  Therefore 
the  rest  of  our  term  of  service  must  be  given  to  Vicks 
burg.  In  keeping  with  this,  on  the  21  st  of  February, 


268  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

Col.  Howe — and  he  was  now  Colonel  by  brevet — was 
sent  to  Messenger's  Ferry,  on  the  Big  Black,  to  meet  a 
flag  of  truce  and  effect  an  exchange  of  prisoners,  and 
that  meant  stay,  when  everybody  else  seemed  to  be 
going. 

But  on  the  24th  we  were  relieved  everywhere  as  if  by 
magic — all  but  Major  Mann — and  were  ordered  to  pro 
ceed  to  New  Orleans  and  report  to  General  Canby. 
How  easily  we  let  go  of  everything,  and  took  ourselves 
out  of  the  places  where  we  had  been  indispensable  so 
long  !  Even  Allaire  could  leave  his  garden  that  his  in 
dustry  and  skill  had  started,  and  our  surplus  accumula 
tions  could  be  boxed  and  sent  north  with  wonderful  dis 
patch,  till  by  the  morning  of  the  25th  we  were  reduced 
to  light  traveling  weight,  and  ready  for  the  field.  As 
man  after  man  came  in  from  here  and  there,  who  had 
been  gone  for  weeks,  we  at  last  came  to  hail  them  with 
cheers,  and  there  was  an  indescribable  delight  in  our 
oneness  again. 

It  had  been  raining  very  heavily  a  large  share  of  the 
time  for  several  days,  till  everything  possible  was  afloat, 
and  we  scarcely  hoped  for  a  fair  day  in  which  to  say 
good  by  to  our  long-time  home  at  Vicksburg.  But  it  came 
at  the  last  minute.  It  rained  all  day  the  24th  ;  a  heavy 
thunder  shower,  lasting  all  night,  with  a  young  deluge 
falling.  But  about  sunrise  the  25th  it  broke  away  and 
we  struck  tents  and  marched  to  the  levee,  Vicksburg's 
defence  departing.  We  were  ordered  to  be  on  board  at 
daylight,  but  the  "Grey  Eagle"  was  wind  bound,  or 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  269 

something  else,  on  the  DeSoto  shore,  and  did  not  come 
over  till  afternoon.  We  embarked  at  three  p.  M.  ,  waved 
our  adieus  to  those  we  left  behind,  and  at  6  o'clock  swung 
off  from  our  home  of  nearly  two  years,  and  were  bowling 
down  the  Father  of  Waters  in  quest  of  new  adventures 
and  fresh  fields  of  fame.  We  enjoyed  the  passage  down 
the  river  very  much.  The  boat  was  a  fine  one  and  not 
crowded.  Being  in  tr  e  regular  passenger  line,  she 
made  all  the  landings,  giving  us  an  opportunity  to  see 
Natchez,  Baton  Rouge,  etc.,  and  as  the  trees  were  just 
leafing  out,  and  the  plum  trees  in  blossom,  the  land 
scape  was  particularly  inviting.  Gunboats  lined  the 
river,  an  iron-clad  in  one  place  and  a  tin-clad  or  two  in 
another.  At  the  mouth  of  Red  river  there  were  five 
tin-clads,  one  monitor,  and  two  rams,  one  of  which  was 
the  captured  ram  "Tennessee."  All  of  these  were  of 
great  interest  to  us,  and  especially  were  we  pleased  to 
see  the  "Mound  City,"  our  old  friend  of  Bruinsburg, 
once  more. 

At  nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  on  the  2/th  of  February,  we 
reached  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  Col.  Howe  went 
on  shore  to  report  to  Gen.  Canby.  The  scene  was  a 
a  busy  and  entrancing  one.  The  peculiar  mingling  of 
river  and  sea-going  vessels  was  new  to  many  of  us. 
United  States  transports  and  gunboats  were  plenty,  with 
their  taper  masts  and  spars  ;  two  ocean  steamers  lay  at 
their  wharves,  the  beautiful  blockade-runner  "Circas 
sian"  lay  anchored  in  the  stream,  and  the  river  being 
very  high,  we  almost  looked  down  upon  the  city,  which 


270  HISTORY  OF  THE 


seemed  to  lie  seething  and  boiling  at  our  feet.  The  levee 
was  a  perfect  whirl  of  excitement.  Great  stacks  of  grain  in 
sacks,  and  freight  in  barrels,  with  piles  of  cotton  bales, 
were  here  and  there,  covered  with  canvas  to  protect 
from  the  drizzling  rain  which  was  falling.  Steamboats 
and  ships  were  loading,  while  six  mule  teams,  and  drays, 
and  carts  were  rushing  hither  and  thither,  with  a  crack 
ing  of  whips,  scolding  of  mates,  yelling  of  roustabouts, 
and  general  clamor  that  exceeded  anything  of  the 
kind  we  had  before  witnessed.  We  drank  it  all  in 
eagerly,  Babel  as  it  was,  from  the  deck  of  our  good 
steamer,  while  awaiting  the  return  of  Col.  Howe,  who 
soon  came  with  orders  to  report  to  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith, 
at  Camp  Chalmette,  about  four  miles  down  the  river. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  had  discharged  her  regular 
freight,  we  steamed  down  past  the  United  States  bar 
racks  below  the  city,  and  soon  found  ourselves  in  prox 
imity  to  a  vast  encampment  of  troops,  which  explained 
to  us  at  a  glance,  the  destination  of  the  thousands 
that  had  been  passing  Vicksburg  for  the  last  twenty 
days.  We  reported  to  Gen.  Smith,  as  ordered,  but  for 
some  reason  did  not  debark,  lying  on  the  boat  all  night. 
The  next  morning,  however,  we  went  ashore  betimes, 
thankful  for  one  good  night's  rest,  and  went  into  camp 
near  the  levee,  in  a  grassy  field,  which  had  been  left 
rough,  from  growing  corn  or  cotton  years  before. 
Orange  groves  were  near  us,  the  oleander  in  its  plenty 
and  luxuriance  lined  the  fence  corners,  Jackson's  maga 
zine  and  battle-ground  monument  were  close  by  ;  in  fact 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  271 

we  were  on  a  part  of  the  old  theatre  of  war,  and  were 
in  the  best  of  spirits.  We  said  we  could  lie  in  the  soft 
grass  between  the  old  corn  rows,  and  all  would  be  lovely. 
So  our  tents  went  up  with  a  will,  and  we  were  at  home 
in  the  field  again. 

The  ladies  with  the  regiment,  Mrs.  Howe,  Mrs.  Kay, 
arid  the  others,  had  improved  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
New  Orleans,  so  unexpectedly  afforded  them,  and  had 
come  down  the  river  with  us.  But  now,  knowing  our 
destination  to  be  to  the  front,  they  began  to  arrange  for 
their  leave  taking,  and  the  first  step  toward  it  was 
"doing"  New  Orleans.  So  the  afternoon  of  our  landing 
at  Camp  Chalmette  found  many  of  the  officers  returning 
to  the  city  on  the  same  boat,  to  escort  the  ladies,  see 
the  sights,  and  bid  them  good  by  at  their  departure. 
All  this  was  pleasantly  accomplished,  and  then  we  re 
turned  to  our  duties  in  camp. 

On  the  2d  of  March  we  indulged  in  the  old  time  luxury 
of  dress  parade,  and  on  the  4th  witnessed  a  fireman's  dis 
play  in  the  city,  which  was  very  fine,  it  being  inaugura 
tion  day.  It  was  a  wonder  to  us,  in  a  time  of  war, 
when  the  south  had  been  so  depleted  to  fill  the  ranks  of 
the  confederate  army,  how  such  a  parade  could  be  had. 
But  there  it  was,  though  of  course  the  ranks  were  very 
largely  filled  by  exempts  and  negroes.  Algiers  and  Car- 
roliton  contributed  their  share  to  the  display. 

On  the  5th  of  March  an  ocean  steamer,  loaded  up  with 
negro  troops  below  us,  and  left  for  the  gulf.  Meantime 
we  were  reducing  everything  to  the  lightest  possible 


272  HISTORY  OF  THE  IZ 


condition.  Our  tents  were  many  of  them  turned  over 
and  condemned,  the  order  being  for  "three  wagons  to  a 
regiment."  Allaire  says  the  regimental  hospital  lost  its 
identity,  being  left  without  a  medicine  wagon,  ambu 
lance  or  tent,  the  dispensary  consisting  of  a  medicine 
chest  of  the  smallest  dimensions,  and  a  knapsack. 

The  night  of  the  7th  of  March  we  enjoyed  the  luxury 
of  one  of  the  heaviest  showers  we  ever  experienced, 
a  rainfall  peculiar  to  lower  latitudes,  and  of  the  power 
of  which  the  North'  affords  no  example.  It  seemed  for 
a  time  as  though  the  Mississippi  was  spilling  out  in 
sheets,  and  we  should  be  overwhelmed  in  spite  of  us. 
Of  course  we  were  but  poorly  protected  against  such  a 
deluge,  many  of  us  being  in  shelter  tents  ;  but  the  worst 
was  from  beneath.  Few  of  us  had  any  bunks,  as  we 
had  no  lumber,  and  our  cradle  beds  in  the  grass  between 
the  corn  rows  became  our  undoing.  The  shower  came 
on  about  two  o'clock,  just  when  we  were  sleeping  most 
soundly.  Many  were  awakened,  first  by  the  waters 
rising  under  them,  and  while  the  senses  of  hundreds 
were  only  partially  unlocked,  some  wag  cried  out  in  the 
twang  of  the  river  men  in  heaving  the  lead,  ''six  feet." 
This  set  the  camp  in  a  roar  of  laughter,  and  was  imme 
diately  replied  to  by  some  one  in  a  different  voice,  from 
another  quarter  of  the  camp,  with  the  cry  of  "seven 
feet,"  indicating  the  rapid  deepening  of  the  waters. 
And  now  the  boatmen  themselves  could  not  have  called 
it  more  skillfully  than  the  thoroughly  aroused  soldiers 
did,  as  they  ran  through  the  whole  range  of  the  lead 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  273 

line,  in  every  pitch  and  quality  of  voice,  from  the  piping 
treble  to  the  deepest  bass,  with  drawl  and  twang-  and 
snap,  and  inflections  up,  and  inflections  down.  It  was 
"eight  feet,"  and  "nine  feet,"  and  "a  quarter  less 
twain,"  and  "mark  twain,"  and  "mark  under  water 
twain,"  the  water  still  rising  as  the  rain  still  poured,  and 
everybody  laughing  ready  to  split,  till  at  last  the  climax 
was  reached,  and  the  calling  ended  by  the  deepest  bass 
voice  of  all,  groaning  out  from  a  remote  quarter,  with  a 
dying  cadence  which  forbade  response,  save  with  a  yell, 
"no  bottom."  O,  it  was  cruel,  it  was  excruciating  to 
have  to  laugh  so,  all  drenched  as  we  were,  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night,  and  the  floods  still  pouring.  Many 
came  right  out  from  their  tents,  and  yelled  in  their 
agony  of  laughter,  crying,  "O  dear,  it  will  kill  me,"  and 
splashed  through  the  camp  like  otters  in  a  stream. 
Everybody  was  good  natured,  no  evil  effects  of  our 
drenching  followed,  and  to  day  Camp  Chalmette  has  no 
more  vivid  recollections  for  us  than  those  of  that  night, 
culminating  in  that  wonderful  "no  bottom."  Many  of 
us  would  give  more  than  a  penny  to  know  who  was  the 
owner  of  that  sepulchral  bass. 

We  found  ourselves  with  the  /2d  Illinois  again  at  this 
camp,  report  assigning  us  to  a  brigade  with  them.  But 
this  was  not  to  be,  though  we  were  with  them  for  the 
first  few  days,  and  in  the  same  division  throughout  the 
campaign.  Little  differences  in  rank  of  regimental 
commanders  often  changed  the  brigading  of  troops,  res 
pect  being  had  to  future  contingencies,  which  might 


274  HISTORY  OF  THE 


involve  much  more  than  an  unskilled  man  would  suspect. 
In  this  case  the  ?2d  was  taken  from  our  brigade,  after 
fairly  starting  with  us,  and  why,  no  one  at  the  time 
could  tell. 

While  here  Reece  returned  to  us,  and  once  more  as 
sumed  the  position  of  a  plain  Quartermaster,  remaining 
with  us  to  the  close  of  the  war.  The  day  after  his  arri 
val  he  was  detailed  as  Brigade  Quartermaster,  but 
declined  to  accept,  and  recommending  Lieut.  Bigelow 
for  that  post,  he  was  detailed  instead. 

We  improved  the  time  while  here  to  see  New  Orleans, 
having  but  little  to  do  after  disposing  of  our  surplus 
stores,  except  to  occasionally  go  on  dress  parade.  The 
monument  and  magazine,  the  cemeteries  with  their 
tombs  above  ground,  the  shell  roads,  Lake  Pontchar- 
train,  the  custom  house,  theatre,  markets,  all  came  in 
for  a  share  of  our  attention.  The  street  cars  ran  nearly 
to  our  camp,  so  that  our  communication  was  easy,  and 
we  suffered  no  part  of  the  time  to  hang  heavy  on  our 
hands.  The  passage  of  tugs  with  their  tows  of  ves 
sels  was  always  interesting  to  us,  going  by,  three  or  four 
together  often,  almost  above  our  heads,  lying  nearly 
under  the  levee,  as  we  did,  with  the  river  booming  high. 
It  was  the  time  of  the  year  to  enjoy  it.  There  was  no 
danger  of  sickness,  it  was  not  very  hot,  flowers  were 
abundant,  and  all  vegetation,  save  the  orange,  at  its 
best,  with  the  birds  singing  on  every  bough.  Why 
should  we  not  enjoy  it  ? 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  275 

But  the  end'  came,  and  on  the  I  ith  of  March  we  were 
ordered  to  embark  on  the  ocean  steamer  "Guiding 
Star,"  of  the  New  York  "Star  line*"  Our  transporta 
tion  had  all  gone  by  the  way  of  Lake  Pontchartrain  and 
Grant's  Pass,  with  Durley  in  charge,  and  we  were  ready 
to  move.  But  the  steamer  was  coaling,  and  did  not  re 
port  for  us  till  Sunday  the  I2th,  about  nine  o'clock, 
when  she  anchored  in  the  river  abreast  of  us,  and  the 
river  steamer  "Fairchild"  stuck  her  nose  into  the  levee 
to  take  us  on  board.  We  were  not  long  in  reporting, 
and  quickly  found  ourselves,  nearly  3,000  strong,  on 
this  leviathan  of  the  deep,  including  the  8th  Iowa,  Col. 
Geddes  commanding,  and  the  /2d,  Sist,  loSth  and 
1 24th  Illinois,  with  brigade  headquarters.  We  made  a 
perfect  jam.  Three  of  the  regiments  were  stowed  away 
in  the  steerage  and  hold,  and  the  others  were  on  deck, 
where  the  crowd  was  so  great  that  the  Captain  did  not 
go  aft  to  his  cabin  once  while  we  were  on  board.  He 
scarcely  could  without  stepping  on  the  men.  About 
half-past  eleven  the  anchor  was  tripped,  and  away  we 
sped  down  the  river,  the  wind  blowing  almost  a  gale. 
Of  course  we  were  not  lonesome,  and  there  was  the  charm 
of  novelty  about  it  all,  as  we  passed  the  orange  groves 
that  sometimes  lined  the  banks,  met  the  tows,  took  a 
look  at  Forts  St.  Phillips  and  Jackson,  saw  an  occasional 
alligator,  and  especially  as  we  observed  the  peculiar 
character  of  the  shores  a  little  farther  down,  which  were 
only  narrow  strips  of  uncertain  land,  serving  but  to  guide 
the  mighty  river  safely  out  to  sea.  But  a  few  rods,  for 


276  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

many  miles,  separated  us  from  the  blue  water  on  either 
hand,  which  was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  turbid 
stream  on  whose  bosom  we  were  sailing. 

At  last  the  river  divided  and  we  took  a  right-hand 
channel,  finding  ourselves  at  the  southwest  pass  at  sun 
down,  and  too  late  for  the  tide  over  the  bar.  So  we  an 
chored  in  the  stream  for  the  night.  The  ''Morning 
Star"  and  "Evening  Star,"  the  consorts  of  our  ship, 
one  outward  and  the  other  inward  bound,  were  stuck  in 
the  channel  on  the  bar,  and  as  our  vessel  was  the  larg 
est,  drawing  over  twenty-one  feet  of  water,  our  prospect 
for  crossing  was  not  very  hopeful. 

The  1 3th  we  lay  all  day  on  the  ship.  There  was  no 
water  on  the  bar,  so  said,  and  there  the  other  steamers 
still  lay.  In  the  afternoon  it  began  to  rain  quite  heavily, 
and  the  men  on  deck  suffered  from  it,  being  unable  to 
stir  or  help  themselves;  and  yet  the  men  in  the  hold 
suffered  most  from  the  impure  air,  and  nothing  to  see. 
It  was  all  wrong,  besides  the  officers  had  to  pay  a  dollar 
a  meal  or  go  without,  as  no  one  could  cook  at  all,  or 
even  make  a  cup  of  coffee.  The  boat  was  so  top-heavy 
that  she  lay  lurched  over,  and  the  poor  fellows  "lying 
two  deep,"  as  Allaire  says,  had  to  be  on  a  continual 
strain,  lest  feet  and  heads  should  come  into  unpleasant 
contact.  It  began  to  be  soldiering  with  a  vengeance. 
There  was  no  longer  any  charm  in  the  novelty. 

But  we  had  telegraphed  to  the  city  for  aid,  and  the 
morning  of  the  Hth  the  "Fairchild"  steamed  alongside 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  277 

in  the  rain,  when  our  regiment,  with  the  8ist,  went  on 
board  of  her,  dirty  and  forbidding  as  she  was.  It  gave 
us  more  room,  and  we  could  stretch  our  cramped  limbs 
a  little.  We  passed  a  most  cheerless  day,  as  it  rained 
heavily  for  a  great  part  of  it,  and  then  a  dense  fog  set 
tled  down  upon  us.  When  it  became  evident  we  should 
not  get  over  the  bar  that  day,  the  "Fairchild"  ran  up 
to  some  old  coal  barges  which  lay  along  the  shore,  if 
shore  it  could  be  called,  and  we  spent  some  time  in 
racing  over  them  to  stir  our  blood,  and  save  our  temper. 
The  "Evening  Star"  came  over  the  bar  upon  the  last 
instant,  leaving  a  passage  clear  for  us,  but  we  could  not 
do  in  the  fog,  from  our  position,  what  she  had  been  able 
to  do  from  hers.  She  could  get  off  the  bar,  being  on  it 
in  the  right  place,  but  we  stood  no  chance  of  finding  that 
place  to  pass.  As  she  steamed  slowly  by  us  that  after 
noon,  while  we  lay  on  the  "Fairchild,"  and  we  looked 
up  and  read  her  name — "Evening  Star" — in  great  let 
ters  on  the  stern  so  high  above  us,  how  little  we  thought 
of  her  foundering  in  the  gulf  stream  a  few  years  later, 
with  those  hundreds  on  board.  Ill-fated  steamer,  what 
an  end  was  thine  !  What  a  mass  of  filth  and  rottenness, 
as  well  as  of  nobility,  and  moral  worth  thou  didst  take 
down  to  the  depths  with  thee !  Only  twelve  out  of 
upwards  of  nine  hundred  were  saved,  and  among  her 
passengers  were  over  a  hundred  courtezans,  a  circus 
company,  and  a  French  opera  troupe. 

The  morning  of  the  I5th  the  commissary  boat,   "Col 
onel  Colburn,"  came  to  us   with  rations,  and  soon  after 


278  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241'!! 


our  ship  passed  out  over  the  bar.  At  noon  we  untied 
from  our  coal  barges  and  steamed  after  her,  running 
close  alongside  the  "Morning  Star"  in  our  passage  out, 
and  pitching  nicely  with  our  flat  craft  in  the  roll  of  the 
sea.  The  "Guiding  Star"  had  swung  around  to  the 
right  behind  the  narrow  tongue  of  land,  so  that  we 
lashed  alongside  her  safely,  and  unloaded  ourselves  from 
the  hurricane  deck  of  the  '  'Fairchild, "  taking  our  before- 
time  stowage.  At  four  o'clock  we  weighed  anchor,  and 
steamed  out  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  in  the  teeth  of  both 
wind  and  waves. 

The  new  motion  of  the  vessel  soon  began  to  take 
effect,  and  unpleasant  sounds  to  arise  from  all  quarters. 
One  of  the  commissioned  officers,  a  Captain  in  the 
"Hundred  and  two  dozen,"  was  discovered  in  a  very  few 
minutes,  trying  to  hold  his  head  out  of  the  round  light 
in  his  state  room,  and  of  all  the  officers  on  board  the 
vessel,  numbering  over  a  hundred  and  fifty,  but  one  put 
in  an  appearance  at  the  supper  table.  The  men  were 
soon  in  a  sad  plight  from  sea-sickness ;  their  crowded 
condition  rendered  it  impossible  for  them  to  go  to  the 
vessel  side,  or  anywhere  else  to  vomit,  so  there  was  no 
alternative  but  to  "heave  up  Jonah"  just  where  they 
were,  and  the  result  can  well  be  imagined.  A  heavier 
wind-squall  came  on  in  the  night,  pitching  us  about  fear 
fully  for  awhile,  followed  by  a  strong  northwester,  and  a 
slimier,  sourer,  sorrier  set  of  men  than  our  brigade  could 
exhibit  the  next  morning,  it  would  have  been  difficult 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  270 

to  find.  The  squall  was  accompanied  with  rain,  drench 
ing  those  exposed,  but  the  air  was  pure  on  deck,  while 
the  poor  fellows  in  the  hold,  had  to  breathe  their  vomit 
over  and  over  the  whole  night  long  as  well  as  lie  in  it. 
It  would  have  been  a  satisfaction  to  many  of  us,  and  we 
would  almost  have  defended  it  as  being  pious,  if  we 
could  have  condemned  the  officers  who  crammed  us  so, 
to  breathe  the  stifling,  filthy,  mephitic  odors  of  that 
night,  till  they  learned  wisdom.  There  was  no  excuse  for 
such  crowding.  At  sunrise  the  morning  of  the  i6th, 
we  were  in  sight  of  Pelican  island  light,  and  soon  in 
muddy  water  again,  from  Mobile  bay.  A  short  time 
brought  us  to  anchor  in  the  channel  between  Forts 
Morgan  and  Gaines,  waiting  for  lighters.  We  were  not 
in  an  enviable  frame  of  mind  after  our  abuse ;  we  could 
not  be;  we  were  entirely  too  filthy  for  that.  If  we 
could  have  taken  some  of  the  masters  of  transportation, 
and  consequential  department  quartermasters  out  of 
their  elegant  quarters,  and  daubed  them  with  our  filth, 
and  held  their  noses  to  it  awhile,  that  would  have  soothed 
us  amazingly.  But  our  position  soon  helped  to  mollify 
us.  We  were  where  the  noble  Farragut  had  been 
lashed  to  the  mast  of  the  "Hartford,"  and  had  won  the 
victory  of  Mobile  bay.  Here  was  the  grave  of  the 
"Tecumseh"  and  the  gallant  Craven.  'I  here  was  mas 
sive  Fort  Morgan  on  our  right,  with  the  stars  and  stripes 
waving  over  her.  Fort  Gaines  lay  near  us  on  our  left, 
and  in  the  stream  by  us  was  the  "Richmond."  Here 
was  the  new  theatre  of  war.  Up  the  bay  yonder  was 


280  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Mobile,  the  last  port  of  any  importance  in  rebel  hands, 
and  we  were  to  take  her.  Our  patriotism  began  to  re 
vive  ;  and  a  shoal  of  porpoises  commenced  to  disport 
themselves  around  the  vessel,  rolling  and  tumbling, 
seemingly  for  our  gratification.  There  was  inspiration 
in  the  scene. 

At  one  o'clock  the  "Tamaulipas,  "  a  large  tug,  came 
alongside,  and  the  /2d,  with  some  of  our  regiment,  went 
on  board  of  her.  The  '  'Laura"  followed  carrying  three 
companies  of  us,  and  the  rest  on  the  "N.  W.  Thomas" 
were  all  soon  landed  safely  at  Fort  Gaines,  on  Dauphin 
island,  in  the  State  of  Alabama.  How  rejoiced  we  were 
to  get  on  shore  —  on  the  clean,  white  sand.  What  a  con 
trast  there  was  between  it  and  our  soiled  clothing.  And 
how  we  stretched  our  limbs.  It  was  such  a  luxury  to 
walk  about.  The  island  pitched  and  rolled  some,  but 
really  it  felt  more  natural.  It  brought  up  more  satisfac 
torily.  All  was  bustle  and  confusion,  but  we  soon 
brought  comparative  order  out  of  it,  as  old  campaigners 
can,  and  marching  out  on  the  beach  about  three 
miles,  bivouacked  for  the  night,  making  our  beds  in  the 
clean  sand,  close  down  by  the  great  heaving  sea.  An 
extract  from  my  diary  of  that  night  shall  close  this 
chapter  : 

"Went  into  camp  on  the  sand,  with  the  pines  for  a 
background,  our  camp  fronting  south  toward  the  irre- 
pressable  rolling  surf.  Was  profoundly  impressed  with 
the  majesty  of  the  sea  while  coming  out  on  the  beach, 
with  the  tide  coming  in,  but  still  more  so,  if  possible, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  281 

when  lying  on  the  sand,  listening  to  the  voices  of 
the  wild  waves,  and  gazing  up  at  our  starry  canopy 
in  this  delightful  night,  with  Jupiter  and  Mars  in 
the  ascendant,  and  Orion  brightly  beaming  down 
upon  us.  The  soldiers'  nautical  merriment,  gushing 
out  so  comically,  and  exuberantly,  after  their  confine 
ment  on  the  steamship,  added  interest  to  the  scene  ;  and 
I  felt  like  rendering  thanks,  deep  and  full,  to  the  great 
Maker  and  Ruler  of  all  this,  as  I  closed  my  eyes  for 
slumber." 


282  HlSTOKV    OF    THE     t2 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


The  "festive  oyster." — Organization. — Across  the  bay. — Reece  and  the 
teams. — The  "father  of  crooks." — Among  the  pines.— Brigade  drill. 
— Franking  letters. — Fortifying. — Further  on. — Skirmishing. — 
"Wake  Nicodemus. " — Adjutant  and  Hodges  wounded. — Spanish 
Fort.  — George  C.  Black  killed. — Siege.— Our  position. — Wounded. — 
A  fearful  day. — Killed. — Officers  digging  rifle  pits. — Killed  and 
wounded. — Siege  progressing. — General  bombardment. — April  8th. 
— Our  share  in  the  capture. — Capt.  N.  H.  Pratt' s  story. 

WHILE  ON  Dauphin  island  we  had  some  sport 
fishing  for  oysters  ;  though  it  is  probable  most  of 
the  men  were  more  successful  in  obtaining  black  mus 
cles,  which  were  very  plenty.  We  lacked  the  boats  and 
rakes  necessary  for  extensive  oyster  fishing  from  the 
island,  but  from  the  point  above  Fort  Morgan,  where 
our  teams  were  landed,  they  could  be  obtained  at  low 
tide  in  great  plenty,  and  Reece  says  Durley  and  the 
teamsters  were  growing  fat  on  them,  when  he  joined 
them.  Eagle,  the  blacksmith,  proved  to  be  the  cham 
pion  oyster  eater,  and  could  empty  the  second  bucket 
full  of  them  in  the  shell,  wondering  as  he  finished  how 
anybody  could  like  them !  Some  crabs,  and  a  few  fish 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  283 


of  various  kinds,  were  obtained  by  our  boys  while  lying 
here,  and  the  getting  of  them  helped  relieve  the  tedious- 
ness  of  our  waiting  hours. 

We  now  learned  definitely  that  we  were  assigned  to 
the  3d  Brigade  of  the  3d  Division,  i6th  Army  Corps. 
The  72d  had  gone  to  the  1st  Brigade  under  Col.  J.  B. 
Moore,  and  our  Brigade  was  now  composed  of  four  reg 
iments,  the  8th  Iowa,  and  the  8 1st,  io8th  and  I24th  Il 
linois,  Col.  Geddes,  of  the  8th  Iowa  commanding.  Gen. 
E.  A.  Carr  was  in  command  of  the  division.  The  other 
two  divisions  of  this  corps/  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith, 
were  commanded  by  Generals  McArthur  and  Garrard. 
The  1 3th  Army  Corps  with  us,  Gen.  Gordon  Granger 
commanding,  consisted  of  Benton's  and  Veatch's  divis 
ions  and  Bertram's  brigade.  We  had  besides  the  usual 
complement  of  artillery  and  cavalry,  the  whole  com 
manded  by  Maj.  Gen.  E.  R.  S.  Canby.  In  addition 
Gen.  F.  Steele  was  operating  from  Fort  Barrancas,  Flor 
ida,  with  a  respectable  force,  consisting  largely  of  cavalry 
and  colored  troops,  and  two  brigades  of  the  second  di 
vision  of  the  1 3th  Corps,  under  Gen.  Andrews. 

The  i /th  and  i8th  of  March  we  remained  in  camp, 
but  the  I  pth  the  expected  marching  orders  were  receiv 
ed,  and  we  moved  down  to  Fort  Gaines  to  embark,  with 
orders  for  the  officers  to  leave  even  their  valises.  ^  All 
day  long  other  regiments  were  embarking,  and  we 
watched  them,  but  our  turn  did  not  come,  and  toward 
night  we  bivouacked  and  tried  to  make  ourselves  com- 

o 

fortable. 


284  HISTORY  OF  THE  124-1-11 

The  2Oth  we  remained  in  our  bivouack,  and  endured 
the  rain  and  cold  wind,  which  made  the  day  far  from 
pleasant.  The  night  was  absolutely  dreadful.  The 
wind  came  surging  in  upon  us  from  the  gulf,  and  comfort 
and  sleep  were  to  us  strangers.  But  the  morning  of  the 
2 ist  we  embarked  on  the  "Peerless"  and  the  "Thomas," 
with  orders  to  cross  the  bay  and  proceed  up  Fish  river, 
and  report  to  Gen.  Carr.  We  executed  our  part  of  the 
order  very  soon  after  our  cheerless,  wet  breakfast,  and 
steamed  across  the  bay  with  due  dispatch,  but  stuck  on 
the  bar,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  For  about  seven 
hours  we  tugged  and  backed  and  filled,  and  at  last, 
through  the  aid  of  the  third  boat,  the  "Red  Chief,"  we 
got  over,  as  we  thought.  But  we  went  no  further  that 
night,  and  staid  on  the  boats. 

The  22d  we  stuck  again  several  times,  and  were 
assisted  by  the  "Iberville./'  "Elk"  and  "Reserve," 
and  did  not  get  well  into  the  river  till  about  two  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.  This  left  some  of  our  boys  in  an 
unpleasant  predicament,  being  separated  from  their  blan 
kets  and  supplies.  Capt.  Field  borrowed  two  boxes 
of  hard  bread  in  one  instance,  to  eke  out  our  rations. 
At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Danley's  mill  was 
reached  and  we  debarked  well  satisfied  to  be  on  shore 
again  despite  the  many  attractions  of  Fish  river. 

Meantime  Reece  was  not  inactive.  While  on  Dauphin 
island  we  were  separated  from  our  transportation,  which 
was  on  the  neck  east  of  Fort  Morgan,  and  as  a  conse 
quence  he  had  to  borrow  whenever  we  needed  a  team. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  285 

As  soon  as  we  embarked  he  started  for  the  corral,  taking 
passage  in  a  sort  of  tug,  which  was  going  there,  and 
found  everything  in  good  shape.  The  next  point  was  to 
reach  us  with  the  wagons,  valises,  etc. ,  which  was  no 
easy  matter.  It  became  a  serious  question  whether 
they  should  rejoin  the  regiment  at  all  again.  But  word 
came  that  a  boat  was  to  be  at  the  pier  at  last,  and 
whether  he  was  on  the  list  or  not,  he  determined  his 
teams  should  go  on  board.  So  word  was  given  to  be 
ready,  and  as  but  one  team  could  go  on  the  pier  at  a 
time,  it  became  a  point  to  be  first.  As  soon  as  the  boat 
landed,  Reece  asked  to  see  the  list,  and  finding  our  regi 
ment  was  not  on  it,  determined  to  put  it  on,  so  giving 
Miles  and  Durley  the  signal,  they  hurried  the  teams 
ahead,  and  got  where  they  could  not  be  passed,  or 
turned  back,  and  therefore  had  to  be  taken.  There  was 
some  swearing  and  scolding  when  it  was  found  there 
were  more  teams  on  than  were  called  for,  but  at  last  the 
officer  said  it  was  a  flank  movement,  which  he  had  not 
expected,  but  he  guessed  they  could  get  along  without 
much  inconvenience  ;  and  Reece  thought  it  was  better 
to  crowd  mules  and  wagons  a  little,  than  men,  as  on  the 
"Guiding  Star."  So  in  due  time  our  transportation 
reached  Fish  river,  or  the  "Father  of  crooks, "  as  Reece 
calls  it,  and  debarking  at  Danley's  mill,  soon  came  up 
with  the  regiment.  This  was  an  event  to  the  blanket- 
less  men  and  the  destitute  officers. 

We  ibund  ourselves  now  in  the  sand  among  the  pines. 
Tiiese  were    of    the  long-leaved,    or  southern    variety, 


286  HISTORY  OF  THE 


(Pinus  Australis,)  and  were  the  only  recommendation  of 
the  country.  The  soil  was  literally  good  for  nothing, 
but  the  lumber  and  resin  business  had  been,  and  still 
might  be  an  institution.  Nearly  every  tree  had  been 
scarified  or  boxed  for  turpentine,  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Fish  river,  and  in  many  other  portions  of  the 
country  through  which  we  passed.  There  were  but  few 
houses,  and  they  were  inhabited  by  a  people  as  forsaken 
as  the  land  where  they  dwelt.  We  rather  enjoyed  our 
marching  under  the  grateful  shade  of  these  trees,  especi 
ally  as  the  fallen  leaves  made  it  soft  for  our  feet.  But 
had  we  been  mules,  we  should  not  have  liked  the  sand, 
and  more  particularly  in  some  treacherous  places  where 
the  thin  wet  crust  easily  gave  way,  and  revealed  the 
quick-sands  below. 

For  two  days  we  remained  in  our  first  camp,  while 
the  1  3th  corps  was  closing  up,  and  crossing  the  river, 
and  awaiting  the  arrival  of  some  heavier  guns.  Both  of 
these  days  we  had  brigade  drill,  the  first  we  had  had  for 
a  long  time,  and  we  began  to  feel  quite  at  home  on  the 
field  with  our  new  associates,  recalling  the  old  "Excel 
sior"  days  of  the  first  brigade,  in  "Logan's  fighting  3d 
Division." 

The  boys  improved  much  of  their  leisure  here  in  writ 
ing  to  their  friends,  and  as  stamps  were  scarce,  they 
largely  availed  themselves  of  the  soldiers'  franking  privil 
ege.  This  imposed  a  new,  and  sometimes  rather  onerous 
duty  upon  commissioned  officers,  and  so  it  came  to  pass 
that  most  of  it  was  done  by  the  Chaplain.  Oue  morning 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  287 

a  much  scribbled  letter  was  brought  him  to  frank, 
upon  which  the  writer  had  already  put  the  following, 
which  illustrates  the  temper  of  the  soldier  : 

''Soldier's  letter,  'nary  red,' 

'Hard  tack'  in  the  place  of  bread. 
Postmaster,  please  shove  it  through, 

'Nary1  stamp  and  seven  month's  due." 

This  was  not  a  production  of  the  I24th,  for  our  regi 
ment  had  been  well  paid. 

While  lying  cm  Fish  river  we  fortified  quite  heavily, 
throwing  up  log  pens  and  filling  in  with  dirt.  The  shov 
eling  was  very  easy  in  the  light  soil,  but  the  necessity 
for  the  work  was  scarcely  apparent  to  the  average  soldier. 
Our  force  appeared  strong  enough  to  whip  anything  that 
could  be  brought  against  us  here,  without  any  protec 
tion  ;  and  so  it  was,  but  a  little  intrenching  might  save 
a  good  many  valuable  lives,  in  case  of  an  unexpected 
attack. 

March  25th  we  broke  camp  at  nine  o'clock,  moving 
by  easy  stages  through  the  I3th  Corps.  Before  start 
ing  a  man  by  the  name  of  Cockburn,  of  the  io8th  Illi 
nois,  was  found  dead  by  the  side  of  a  log.  Probably  a 
congestive  chill  was  the  cause.  But  it  was  so  sad  to 
think  of  a  brave  soldier's  coming  so  far  from  home  and 
loved  ones,  to  die  alone  by  the  side  of  a  log  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  night.  He  was  soon  buried  under  the  pines, 
where  he  remained  in  his  last  slumber,  and  we  passed 
on  and  left  him  "in  the  grave  where  the  soldier  had  laid 
him."  We  did  not  see  a  house  during  that  day,  for 


288  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

twelve  miles ;  but  our  roads  were  pleasant,  the  weather 
fine,  the  men  fresh,  and  we  camped  early,  on  a  nice 
grassy  knoll,  called  Deer  Park,  near  a  stream  of  excel 
lent  water.  After  a  bath,  we  were  in  a  good  frame  of 
mind  to  appreciate  our  brigade  and  field  bands  as  they 
discoursed  sweet  music,  which  seemed  to  wind  among 
the  pines  like  the  twining  of  the  convolvulus.  The 
1 3th  Corps  was  near  us,  but  our  own  Corps  was  some 
what  in  the  advance.  We  had  heard  firing  ahead  du 
ring  the  day,  and  intrenched  at  night  according  to  Gen 
eral  Orders. 

The  26th  was  a  lovely  day  and  we  moved  early,  through 
the  same  unvarying  pine  forest.  Our  route  was  nearly 
north,  and  we  thought  our  destination  was  Blakely. 
The  1 3th  Corps  had  diverged  to  the  westward  soon  after 
starting.  Very  soon  Gen.  Canby  and  Gen.  Osterhaus 
came  riding  by,  it  being  the  first  time  we  had  seen  our 
commander,  and  directly  after  we  saw  a  house — the  first 
since  leaving  Fish  river.  We  had  gone  but  a  little  way 
when  firing  was  heard  ahead  and  quite  a  detention 
occurred.  But,  though  skirmishing  was  kept  up  all 
day,  we  were  not  engaged.  We  marched  about  ten 
miles,  crossing  quite  a  stream,  where  we  saw  some  fresh 
graves,  and  went  into  camp  on  some  high  ground  about 
one  o'clock.  Here  the  men  had  a  good  wash,  and  soon 
composed  themselves  for  rest.  It.  being  Sunday,  to 
wards  evening  the  Chaplain  sang  a  hymn  under  a  pine, 
and  gathering  the  boys  about  him,  preached  to  them 
from  ' 'Deliver  us  from  evil." 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY. 


By  the  first  mail  after  reaching  Fish  river,  the  Chap 
lain  received  the  new  song,  entitled  "Wake  Nicode 
mus,  "  and  the  Glee  Club  had  introduced  it  under  the 
pines  in  our  two  days'  camp,  with  telling  effect,  inso 
much  that  it  had  become  a  by-word  throughout  our 
division,  the  boys  speaking  of  our  hunt  after  the  rebels  as 
being  an  expedition  to  "Wake  Nicodemus,  "  and  won 
dering,  as  we  started  in  the  morning  if  we  should  suc 
ceed  in  waking  him  that  day.  The  2/th  proved  to  be 
the  day  in  which  we  did  wake  him,  and  the  opening 
account  of  it,  with  the  movements  of  our  troops,  is 
taken  from  Gen.  Andrews'  ''Campaign  of  Mobile  :" 

"Gen.  Carr  learned,  late  on  the  evening  of  the  26th, 
that  the  i6th  Corps  would  turn  back  in  the  morning 
against  Spanish  Fort  ;  and  knowing  it  would  be  his 
turn  in  the  advance,  he  gave  the  requisite  instructions 
to  his  brigade  commanders.  The  morning  of  the  27th 
came  with  a  prospect  of  heavy  rain,  which  to  veteran 
soldiers  was  some  sign  of  a  battle.  The  men  had  taken 
their  accustomed  breakfast,  of  hard  bread,  coffee,  and 
a  slice  of  bacon,  toasted  on  a  stick  —  as  Achilles  cook 
ed  the  fat  chine  at  the  feast  for  the  heroes.  The 
usual  hum  of  talk  and  speculation  was  heard  around 
the  expiring  fires  of  their  bivouac.  By  the  men  in  the 
ranks  all  plans  of  strategy  are  freely  canvassed,  and  up 
to  this  morning  they  had  expected  to  move  on  to  the 
Alabama  river.  Soon  was  heard  the  spirited  roll  on 
the  drum  to  "fall  in,"  greeted  by  that  habitual  and 
never-to-be-forgotten  shout  or  cheer  of  the  men.  Then 


290  HISTORY  OP  THE   124x11 

the  cartridge-box  with  its  "forty  rounds"  is  buckled  on  ; 
the  blanket  is  twisted  up  and  thrown  over  the  shoulders ; 
the  intrenching  tools  are  picked  up,  the  muskets  taken, 
each  company  is  formed,  the  roll  called,  and,  at  the  time 
fixed,  whether  in  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  the  regiments 
are  in  line. 

"Leaving  Garrard's  division  at  Sibley's  mill,  Smith  put 
the  ist  and  3d  divisions  of  his  corps  in  motion.  Carr's 
(3d)  division  had  the  advance,  with  Geddes'  (3d)  brigade 
in  advance  of  the  division  ;  and  at  the  head  of  the  col 
umn  was  the  £ist  Illinois,  numbering  three  hundred,  five 
companies  of  which,  under  Col.  A.  W.  Rogers,  were 
deployed  as  skirmishers,  with  the  other  five  companies, 
under  Capt  S.  L.  Campbell,  in  reserve.  In  these 
woods  were  numerous  trails,  which  had  been  made  in 
hauling  lumber  to  the  neighboring  mills,  and  the  guns 
being  silent  at  Spanish  Fort,  the  column  had  to  find  its 
way  as  best  it  could. 

"Carr  had  gone  four  miles,  and  his  advance,  the  Sist 
Illinois,  had  just  passed  the  brow  of  the  hill  overlooking 
Minette  bayou,  where  the  day  before  the  bridge  had 
been  burned,  when  suddenly  a  volley  came  from  a  con 
federate  regiment,  concealed  in  the  bushes,  four  hundred 
yards  distant,  on  the  opposite  side.  This  was  the  2ist 
Alabama,  Lieut.  Col.  James  M.  Williams,  having  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  men.  General  Smith  narrowly 
escaped,  and  some  shots  took  effect  in  the  8ist.  Colo 
nel  Rogers  returned  the  fire  smartly,  and  was  ordered  by 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  291 

General  Smith  to    remain  there  with   his  regiment  and 
hold  that  position. 

"The  1 24th  Illinois,  Col.  John  H.  Howe  commanding, 
then  took  the  advance,  with  five  of  his  companies 
deployed  as  skirmishers,  under  command  of  Capt.  Field, 
acting  Major. 

"When  within  about  a  mile  of  Spanish  Fort,  General 
Smith  caused  both  divisions  to  deploy  in  line  of  battle, 
and  it  was  his  purpose,  of  course,  to  have  his  movements 
concealed  from  the  enemy. 

"Carr's  division,  on  the  right,  had  formed  in  two  lines; 
the  first  consisting  of  the  3d  (Geddes')  brigade,  the  io8th 
Illinois  on  the  right,  the  8th  Iowa  on  the  left,  the  I24th 
Illinois  deployed  as  skirmishers  in  front.  The  second 
line,  consisting  of  the  1st  (Moore's)  and  the  2d  (Ward's) 
brigades;  Moore's  having  the  33d  Wisconsin  on  the 
right,  the  /2d  Illinois  in  the  centre,  the  95th  Illinois  on 
the  left,  and  the  44th  Missouri  in  reserve ;  and  Ward's 
having  the  I4th  Wisconsin  on  the  right,  the  4pth  Mis 
souri  in  the  centre,  the  4Oth  Missouri  on  the  left.  The 
latter  brigade  had  wheeled  into  line  on  the  double-quick, 
and  had  been  a  few  minutes  in  position,  when  the 
corps  commander  rode  along  with  a  stern  countenance. 
At  sight  of  their  "  chief"  the  men  of  the  4pth  Missouri 
gave  a  cheer,  which  could  be  heard  in  the  confederate 
lines.  Thus  foiled  in  his  efforts  to  conceal  the  position, 
he  rebuked  the  men  in  a  few  hasty  words.  In  half  a 
minute  a  shell  from  the  confederate  works  came  screech 
ing  through  the  trees,  and  dropped  close  to  the  men  who 


292  HISTORY  OF  THE  1  2 


had  cheered.  It  did  not  burst  as  it  fell,  and  the  men 
gave  back  a  little.  Seeing  this,  Smith  cried  out  to  them, 
"stand  up  to  it!  You  had  no  business  cheering." 

"Carr's  centre  and  the  light  batteries  approached  by 
the  Blakely  road.  Sharp  skirmishing  commenced  about 
ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  when  within  a  mile  of  Spanish  Fort. 
The  confederate  sharp-shooters  were  in  advance  of  their 
rifle  pits,  using  the  hills  and  trees  for  cover. 

"At  this  hour  Me  Arthur's  division  was  in  line  on  the 
left  of  Carr's,  and  connecting  with  the  left  of  the  i6th 
corps,  Granger  had  come  up  with  the  I3th  corps  ;  so  that 
the  investment  was  nearly  complete.  The  troops 
advanced  with  alacrity,  their  banners  all  unfurled.  Their 
line  was  three  miles  in  length,  and  presented  a  splendid 
appearance  moving  through  the  open  woods.  Sharp 
skirmishing  was  constant  along  the  whole  front.  The 
confederates,  apprehending  an  assault,  also  kept  up  a 
vehement  shelling  with  their  heavy  and  light  guns,  and 
there  was  all  the  stir  and  clamor  of  battle. 

"The  confederates  had  the  advantage  of  bein^  on  the 

O  C5 

defensive,  and  being  concealed,  while  the  federals  had 
the  disadvantage  of  exposure,  in  pressing  forward  against 
the  fire  of  sharp-shooters,  and  over  the  obstacles  on  the 
ground,  but  at  the  same  time  they  had  the  moral  advan 
tage  there  is  in  the  prestige  and  momentum  of  constantly 
gaining  ground. 

"Up  to  noon  no  federal  artillery  had  opened,  but  the 
light  batteries  of  each  division  were  near  by  in  the  hol 
lows.  A  little  after  noon,  Carr  caused  the  I4th  Indiana 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  293 

light  battery,  Capt.  F.  W.  Morse,  to  open  from  a  ridge 
about  eight  hundred  yards  from  Red  Fort,  and  near  the 
position  afterward  occupied  by  the  naval  battery.  Capt. 
Morse's  fire  was  replied  to  with  spirit  during  the  after 
noon,  and  many  shots  fell  close,  but  no  injury  was  sus 
tained.  Soon  afterward  the  1st  Indiana  light  battery, 
Capt.  L.  Jacoby,  opened  from  a  prominent  position,  a 
little  to  the  left  and  front  of  the  1/j.th.  Both  batteries 
were  supported  by  Moore's  brigade. 

"It  was  now  toward  the  middle  of  the  afternoon.  The 
rain  was  coming  down  in  a  steady  pour,  and  the  fierce 
ness  of  the  artillery  fire  had  abated. 

"Carr,  expecting  to  be  ordered  to  assault,  and  feeling 
confident  the  works  could  be  carried  in  his  front,  exerted 
himself  to  keep  his  lines  compact. 

"The  1 24th  Illinois  had  pressed  on  fearlessly,  gaining 
distance  of  half  a  mile  in  advance  of  its  brigade,  when 
the  confederate  skirmishers  were  met,  and  after  a  warm 
contest,  driven  precipitously  into  their  works.  Five  of 
that  regiment  fell,  including  its  Adjutant,  Lieut.  W.  E. 
Smith,  and  the  color-sergeant.  On  the  extreme  right 
was  the  io8th  Illinois,  Col.  Charles  Turner,  which  sus 
tained  a  loss  of  six.  Its  skirmishers  were  commanded 
by  Capt.  W.  M.  Bullock,  a  daring  and  efficient  officer, 
who  fell,  with  his  thigh  badly  shattered  by  a  musket 
ball  ;  but  he  refused  to  allow  any  of  the  men  to  expose 
themselves  in  helping  him  away,  and  dragged  himself 
to  the  rear.  The  8th  Iowa,  distinguished  for  discipline 
and  gallantry,  Lieut.  Col.  Bell  commanding,  was  next 


294  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

on  the  left,  and  had  thirteen  men  wounded  by  musketry, 
and  of  this  number  six  were  non-commissioned  officers. 
"Next  on  the  left,  in  Moore's  brigade,  was  the  33d 
Wisconsin,  which  sustained  a  loss  of  six  wounded,  in 
cluding  Major  George  R.  Frank.  The  loss  in  the  /2d 
Illinois,  was  two,  and  the  95th  Illinois  four.  In  Ward's 
brigade  there  was  a  loss  of  one  man  in  each  regiment ; 
so  that  the  whole  casualties  in  Carr's  division,  were 
thirty-nine.  The  confederates  in  his  front  had  been 
driven  into  their  main  works,  and  his  line  was  established 
six  hundred  yards,  on  an  average,  therefrom.  The  en 
suing  night  the  division  busily  intrenched." 

From  this  account  of  General  Andrews,  it  will  be 
seen,  that  while  the  8ist  were  first  in  action  at  Minette 
bridge,  our  regiment  was  the  first  to  develop  Spanish 
Fort,  and  so  to  really  "wake  Nicodemus. "  The  forces 
met  by  the  8ist  belonged  to  Holtzclaw's  brigade,  acting 
with  the  division  of  the  Missouri  Gen.  Cockrell — now 
U.  S.  Senator,  and  he  a  rebel  from  a  State  that  did  not 
secede,  God  save  the  mark — and  were  a  part  of  the  de 
fense  of  Blakely.  So,  too,  Garrard's  division,  of  our 
corps,  left  at  Sibley's  mill,  took  no  part  in  the  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort,  but  operated  against  Blakely.  Also,  it 
will  be  noticed,  the  account  of  our  advancing  fearlessly 
and  gaining  the  distance  of  half  a  mile  from  our  brigade, 
is  put  after  the  account  of  shelling  by  the  light  batteries. 
The  order  in  point  of  time  is  previously  given.  We 
struck  the  enemy  a  little  before  nine  o'clock,  the  skir 
mishing  became  general  about  ten,  and  the  artillery 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  205 

opened  about  noon.  Within  a  few  minutes  after  the 
"ball  opened."  the  Adjutant  was  hit  in  the  thigh,  the 
bullet  entering  about  an  inch  from  the  wound  made  at 
Champion  Hills.  He  was  on  horse-back  when  struck, 
the  other  field  officers  having  dismounted.  He  was  con 
veyed  to  the  rear,  and  sent  to  New  Orleans,  and  north, 
not  recovering  in  time  to  return  to  us  again.  Color 
Sergeant  Hodges,  of  company  K,  was  also  struck  in  the 
arm,  receiving  a  serious  wound  very  soon  after  the  firing 
commenced.  We  pressed  the  enemy  forward  very  rap 
idly,  our  men  sometimes  moving  upon  the  run,  not 
knowing  at  first,  that  a  fort  was  before  us,  and  secured 
a  good  position  from  which  we  could  see  their  works 
and  command  their  guns.  We  were  relieved  from  skir 
mishing  before  noon,  and  closed  up  in  our  place  in  the 
brigade. 

And  this  was  Spanish  Fort,  seven  miles  east  of  Mo 
bile,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay.  The  right  of  the 
works  rested  on  the  bay,  or  on  the  Apalachee  river,  at 
its  entrance  into  the  bay,  and  the  left  rested  on  Bay  Mi- 
nette,  a  body  of  water  almost  detached  on  the  south, 
but  connecting  with  the  river  above.  The  extent  of  the 
works  facing  south  and  east  was  about  two  miles  in 
length,  and  the  batteries  were  all  on  high  and  command 
ing  ground.  The  surface  was  covered  with  open  pine 
timber,  but  in  front  of  the  outer  line  of  works  the  trees 
were  felled  for  a  few  hundred  yards  Every  ravine  had 
borne  a  heavy  growth  of  hard  wood,  which  having 
been  slashed  made,  with  the  underbrush  and  vines,  an 


296  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

almost  impassable  obstruction.  The  ditch  in  front  of 
breast-works  was  five  feet  deep  and  eight  feet  wide,  but 
in  front  of  Fort  McDermett  it  was  deeper  and  wider. 
In  front  of  the  batteries  were  also  detached  rifle-pits  for 
sharp-shooters,  and  along  the  entire  front  was  a  line  of 
abatis  fifteen  feet  wide.  Torpedoes  had  been  planted 
quite  thickly  in  open  places,  as  also  in  the  roads  ap 
proaching  the  fort,  or  "subterra  shells,"  as  the  enemy 
eloquently  called  them.  But  the  strength  of  the  place 
consisted  in  two  strongly  inclosed  and  bastioned  forts, 
Old  Spanish  Fort  and  Fort  McDermett,  heavily  armed 
with  columbiads,  Parrotts  and  Brooks'  rifled  guns.  Red 
fort  was  also  heavy  and  well  armed,  but  not  enclosed. 
The  whole  number  of  guns  in  the  works,  including  bat 
teries  Huger  and  Tracy  on  the  river,  was  fifty-seven, 
during  the  first  days  of  the  siege.  Hence  we  had  more 
to  contend  against,  providing  the  earth-works  were 
equally  strong  and  well  manned,  than  at  Vicksburg, 
where  the  enemy  had  but  little  artillery  which  he  could 
make  effective  against  us.  The  earth-works  were  equally 
strong  in  many  places  but  not  quite  so  complete.  In 
fact,  on  their  extreme  left,  owing  to  the  marshy  charac 
ter  of  the  ground,  there  was  a  space  which  was  scarcely 
protected  at  all,  or  only  by  a  slashing.  The  garrison 
consisted  of  about  four  thousand  men,  all  of  whom  were 
veterans  from  Hood's  army,  except  the  Alabama  re 
serves,  under  Gen.  Thomas.  Gen.  R.  L.  Gibson  was 
in  command,  and  his  reliable  infantry  force  consisted  of 
his  own,  Holtzclaw's,  and  Ector's  brigades.  Gen.  D. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  207 

H.  Maury  was  in  command  of  the  district,  with  his 
headquarters  at  Mobile,  and  Lieut. -Gen.  Richard  Tay 
lor,  of  the  Department,  with  his  headquarters  at  Meri 
dian,  Mississippi.  General  Lidell  was  in  command  at 
Blakely. 

Toward  night  Private  Geo.  C.  Black,  of  company  K, 
was  shot  through  the  bowels,  and  died  the  next  day. 
There  was  something  peculiarly  sad  about  the  death  of 
poor  Black.  He  was  a  good  faithful  man  and  soldier, 
and  as  far  as  known  was  liked  by  all.  Some  months 
before  he  had  lost  his  voice,  and  for  a  long  time  did  not 
speak  save  in  a  whisper.  He  was  urged  to  ask  for  a 
discharge,  but  he  insisted  that  he  was  able-bodied  and 
did  his  duty  like  a  man.  Owing  to  his  inability  to  speak, 
he  was  given  a  detail  as  cook,  and  served  in  that  capa 
city  for  sometime,  having  but  recently  taken  his  position 
in  the  ranks  again,  where  he  claimed  he  could  do  better 
service  now  than  when  the  regiment  was  on  provost 
duty. 

Before  night  we  had  begun  to  intrench  and  dig  rifle- 
pits,  and  to  settle  down  to  the  hard  work  of  a  siege. 
Some  of  our  officers  thought  an  assault  would  be  con 
clusive  in  our  favor,  but  most  thought  every  day  spent 
in  pressing  the  enemy  would  tell  more  fearfully  on  them 
than  on  us,  and  so  in  the  end  we  should  hurt  them 
worse,  with  less  loss  of  life  on  our  part.  Our  gun-boats 
were  close  by  in  the  bay,  our  heavy  guns  well  up,  and 
the  investment  complete  by  night-fall,  and  we  also  pro 
ceeded  to  dig  holes  in  the  ground,  to  put  our 


298  HISTORY  OF  THE 


tents"  over,  giving  it  all   a  character  of  permanence  as 
well  as  of  protection  and  comfort. 

Our  position  in  the  line  of  investment  was,  as  follows: 
The  1  6th  Army  Corps  had  the  right  of  the  fine,  our 
division  the  right  of  the  Corps,  and  our  brigade  the 
right  of  the  division,  resting  on  Bay  Minette.  The  8ist 
remained  by  the  bridge  across  the  bayou,  where  they 
encountered  Cockrell.  The  io8th  had  the  right  of  our 
brigade,  the  8th  Iowa  the  centre,  and  we  the  left.  Next 
to  us  was  the  1st  brigade,  Col.  J.  B.  Moore  command 
ing,  with  the  33d  Wisconsin,  the  /2d  and  95th  Illinois, 
and  the  44th  Missouri  in  consecutive  order.  The  33d 
Wisconsin  lapped  by  on  the  left  of  our  regiment,  owing 
to  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  ground,  so  that  com 
pany  A  of  theirs  lay  nearly  in  front  of  our  company  B, 
and  our  ''cherbangs"  intermingled.  The  ground  where 
we  lay  was  sufficiently  rising  toward  the  enemy's  works 
to  afford  us  some  protection,  which  we  made  do  good 
service  by  "burrowing,"  as  we  called  it.  Just  in  our 
rear  was  a  partial  valley  running  toward  Bay  Minette, 
and  open  toward  batteries  Huger  and  Tracy  in  the  dis 
tance.  Beyond  the  valley  the  ground  was  ascending 
again,  so  that  going  to  the  rear  brought  us  in  full  view 
of  the  enemy's  sharp-shooters  for  several  rods.  The 
pine  was  quite  plenty  over  all  the  ground,  and  towards 
Bay  Minette,  oak,  hickory  and  other  timber  was  min 
gled  freely  with  it.  And  here,  with  the  men  working 
like  beavers  and  the  battle  raging  for  more  than  two 
miles,  the  night  of  the  2/th  closed  in  on  us  in  a  drizzling 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  299 

rain,  with  the  prospect  of  an  indefinite  and  painful  con 
tinuance.  Our  blankets  came  up  in  good  style,  and 
those  of  us  who  could  be  spared  from  duty,  managed  to 
sleep  some,  despite  the  groaning  of  a  wounded  negro, 
who  had  been  fired  on  by  one  of  our  pickets,  in  the  dark 
ness,  while  trying  to  come  into  our  lines.  Two  of  them 
came,  risking  their  lives  to  do  it,  but  this  one  was  un 
fortunately  badly  wounded. 

The  morning  of  the  28th  opened  fair,  which  was  en 
joyable  after  the  rain.  It  also  opened  lively  ;  the  rebel 
gun-boats,  in  the  river  near  battery  Huger,  threw  some 
heavy  shells  over  us,  and  the  firing  in  the  rifle-pits  was 
a  perfect  roar.  Early  in  the  day  Mammon,  of  company 
D,  was  shot  through  the  arm,  and  toward  evening, 
Gregg,  of  company  B,  was  hit  in  the  thigh.  The  2gih 
was  a  repetition  of  the  28th,  in  the  fighting,  but  a  dark 
and  wet  day.  Hazzard,  of  company  D,  was  badly 
wounded.  Our  approaches  were  a  little  closer,  and  the 
artillery  firing  a  little  heavier. 

The  3Oth  was  a  memorable  day.  We  were  roused  at 
midnight  by  a  general  scare.  All  turned  out,  but  the 
alarm  proved  to  be  false.  Comparative  quiet  was  re 
stored,  and  some  rest  was  obtained.  Nothing  unusual 
occurred  till  noon,  the  storm  of  lead  and  iron  falling 
about  as  yesterday.  Crashing  could  be  heard  in  the 
timber  toward  Bay  Minette,  occasionally,  as  a  rebel 
shell  would  cut  down  a  tree,  and  our  bay  batteries  would 
reply  with  increased  fury.  But  at  noon  one  of  the  events 
of  our  history  occurred.  The  officers  were  at  dinner, 


300  HISTORY  OF  THE 


seated  upon  logs  and  camp  chairs  under  the  pines,  in 
the  little  valley  in  the  rear  of  our  "cherbangs,"  and 
were  chatting  as  usual,  discussing  the  progress  of  the 
siege  over  our  coffee,  when  a  rushing  sound  from  a  mis 
sile  was  heard  approaching  us  from  the  right,  and  hustling 
and  shrieking  through  the  air,  apparently  not  more  than 
ten  feet  above  our  heads.  It  seemed  savagely  to  tear 
the  air  all  to  pieces,  and  to  leave  it  empty.  We  in 
stinctively  turned  our  heads  the  way  it  went,  as  our 
coffee  cups  dropped  from  nerveless  hands,  and  at 
the  instant  heard  it  strike  among  the  "cherbangs"  of 
company  B,  and  the  33d  Wisconsin,  with  a  heavy  thud, 
as  though  a  barrel  of  sand  had  been  driven  into  the 
earth.  Another  instant  and  there  was  a  terrific  explo 
sion,  followed  by  the  ascent  of  logs,  sticks,  tents,  dirt, 
guns,  clothing,  and  we  thought  arms  and  legs,  into  the 
air.  Our  hearts  fainted  at  the  sight  ;  it  was  horrid.  We 
started  for  the  spot,  and  meeting  some  boys  of  company 
B,  leading  Corporal  Jackson  Hovey  away,  who  was 
only  stunned,  we  hoped  for  the  best.  But  on  reaching 
the  spot  the  scene  beggared  description.  Corporal  Ra- 
salva  Fisk,  of  company  B,  was  found  to  be  dangerously, 
and  as  it  afterwards  proved,  mortally  wounded,  and  five 
others  slightly,  while  company  A,  of  the  33d  Wiscon 
sin,  had  twelve  men  struck.  There  they  lay  groaning, 
poor  fellows,  with  their  legs  broken  and  torn  so  that 
their  feet  only  held  by  pieces  of  skin,  some  one,  some 
both  feet,  some  a  foot  and  a  hand,  while  the  hole  in  the 
earth  torn  out  by  the  shell  was  larger  than  a  hogshead, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  301 

and  the  debris  lay  scattered  all  around.  The  men  were 
off  duty,  having  been  in  the  rifle-pits  all  night,  and  it 
looked  so  hard  to  be  slaughtered  that  way  in  their  tents. 
I  think  five  of  the  33d  Wisconsin  were  mortally  wounded 
and  eighteen  in  all  were  struck.  The  shell  was  said  to 
be  a  hundred  pounder,  from  a  Brooks  rifled  gun  on  a 
rebel  gunboat.  But  this  was  not  all.  While  we  were 
still  in  the  quarters  of  company  B,  a  second  shell,  with 
its  unearthly  screaming,  came  up  our  line,  and  exploded 
in  the  air  a  little  in  front  of  us,  doing  no  damage.  But 
the  next  was  a  messenger  of  death  again.  It  exploded 
also1  in  the  air,  just  over  the  left  of  the  8th  Iowa,  and 
two  pieces  of  it,  one  of  which  was  a  ragged,  brass 
flange,  came  tearing  down  into  company  A,  and  killed 
two  men,  John  Her/ett  and  Wm.  H.  Wilson.  They 
had  just  been  ordered  on  duty,  and  were  putting  on 
their  equipments  when  they  fell.  Wilson,  who  had 
been  with  us  only  since  February  6th,  was  buckling  his 
cartridge  box  belt,  and  the  piece  that  struck  him  cut  off 
both  his  hands,  and  cut  him  so  nearly  in  two  that  it  is 
said  a  part  of  him  fell  one  side  up,  and  a  part  the  other. 
His  hip  and  thigh  bones  were  stripped  and  broken  on 
one  side,  and  a  piece  of  bone  carried  into  company  I, 
several  yards  away,  which  was  five  inches  long.  He 
never  knew  what  hurt  him.  Hervett  was  a  stalwart 
young  German,  and  had.  been  with  us  from  the  first. 
He  was  a  good,  reliable  soldier,  full  of  rollicking  fun,  as 
he  was  of  patriotism  and  courage,  and  was  known  by 


302  HISTORY  OF  THE 


the  regiment  as  "lager  John,"  from  his  expressed  fond 
ness  for  the  German  national  beverage.  He  was  struck 
in  the  side  and  a  piece  torn  out  half  as  large  as  a  man's 
head.  He  clapped  his  hands  to  the  place,  calling 
out,  "my  God,  boys,  I'm  shot,"  and  fell  dead.  By 
this  time  the  regiment  became  terrified,  or  horrified,  one 
scarcely  can  tell  which.  All  our  skill  and  valor  seemed 
to  be  set  aside  and  rendered  useless,  by  this  distant  and 
yet  deadly  foe.  None  of  our  works  were  able  to  resist 
such  a  monster  shell.  Our  rifles  were  as  jack  straws 
and  our  caves  as  films  of  gauze  against  such  a  weapon, 
at  such  a  range.  And  to-day  it  is  seriously  believed 
that  whatever  our  complexion  was  before,  just  then  we 
would  have  passed  for  white  men.  But  the  rebels  did 
not  know  what  they  were  doing,  and  only  one  more  shell 
was  fired,  which  did  no  damage.  Our  batteries  opened 
on  the  gun-boat  with  some  effect,  and  she  soon  with 
drew.  The  enemy's  report  gives  battery  Huger  credit 
for  the  shelling,  and  says  it  was  stopped  because  one 
shell  fell  inside  their  own  works.  At  all  events  she 
came  in  for  a  share  in  our  return  fire,  though  our  gun 
ners  thought  it  was  the  gun-boat  near  her  that  did  the 
execution.  All  that  afternoon  and  early  night,  we 
spent  in  strengthening  our  works,  and  rendering  our 
"cherbangs"  more  secure  from  our  right.  We  worked 
with  a  will,  with  the  ghastly  scenes  of  the  day  before 
our  eyes. 

The   3  1st  of  March   the   battle  raged    as   usual,    the 
firing  from   the   rifle-pits   sometimes   rising  almost  to  a 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  303 

roar  and  drowning  the  artillery.  We  learned  of  the 
sinking  of  the  "Milwaukee"  and  "Osage'  by  torpedoes, 
and  that  the  "Octorara"  had  opened  on  the  rebels.  We 
lost  no  men. 

The  sixth  day  of  the  siege,  the  morning  revealed  a 
new  battery  on  the  enemy's  left,  so  close  to  our  right 
that  they  could  almost  fire  into  our  backs  a  little  further 
up  the  line.  This  made  work  on  the  "cherbangs"  lively 
again.  Men  can  face  almost  any  danger  when  they  are 
engaged  in  it,  but  even  old  soldiers  never  acquire  a  rel 
ish  for  punishment  when  off  duty.  They  like  to  be  per 
mitted  to  rest  in  safety.  Our  approaches  began  to  be 
pushed  with  greater  spirit,  our  commissioned  officers 
working  in  the  trenches  all  night.  Orlando  Brace,  of 
company  A,  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  on  picket, 
which  was  the  only  loss  we  sustained  this  day,  but  the 
next,  George  W.  Lester,  of  the  same  company,  was 
killed  in  his  quarters,  by  a  minnie  ball  in  his  head.  And 
on  the  morning  of  that  day  we  found  the  enemy  had 
dug  advance  rifle-pits  in  the  night,  evidently  with  a  de 
sign  to  head  us  off,  from  which  they  opened  on  us  very 
briskly.  As  a  consequence  our  officers  were  kept  in 
our  rifle-pits  all  day,  directing  operations,  and  as  soon 
as  dark  all  sprang  to  it  again,  including  Col.  Howe,  Maj. 
Field.  Chaplain  Howard,  and  Hospital  Steward  Allaire, 
and  dug  with  a  will,  till  far  into  the  night.  '  The  enemy 
annoyed  us  with  a  galling  fire,  but  save  poor  Lester, 
who  was  not  on  duty,  none  were  hit.  The  8ist  were 


304  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

relieved  from  their  detached  service,  and  took   up  a  po 
sition  in  the  line,  upon  our  extreme  right. 

April  3d  the  eighth  day  of  the  siege  gave  us  no  new 
experience.  Samuel  Adams,  of  company  F,  was  shot 
through  the  head  in  the  rifle-pits.  Another  one  of  our 
brave  men  gone.  The  diary  of  a  Confederate  officer  on 
this  day,  says,  "The  enemy  seems  to  be  most  vigorous 
in  front  of  our  left." 

April  4th  was  noted  for  a  very  heavy  bombardment, 
lasting  from  five  till  seven  p.  M.  We  had  thirty-eight 
siege  guns,  including  mortars,  and  thirty-seven  field 
guns  in  position,  and  the  orders  were  for  each  gun  to 
fire  every  three  minutes.  It  was  a  grand  bombardment, 
and  a  correspondent  says,  "The  earth  actually  trembled 
from  this  mighty  fire." 

For  the  next  three  days  the  siege  progressed  as  usual. 
Our  approaches  were  gradually  tightening  around  the 
doomed  works,  our  artillery  going  into  new  and  enfila 
ding  positions,  and  the  enemy's  fire  slackening,  save  in 
their  rifle-pits.  We  began  to  hear  heavy  cannonading 
in  the  direction  of  Blakely,  in  the  lull  of  our  fire,  and 
Gen.  Veatch's  division  having  gone  to  Gen.  Steele's  aid 
on  the  3d,  we  knew  that  meant  business.  We  also 
heard  of  Wilson's  dash  on  Selma,  and  knew  the  hopes 
of  the  enemy  were  cut  olT  in  that  direction. 

On  the  5th  McKenzie  and  Swigert,  of  company  D, 
were  wounded,  and  on  the  6th  Matthew  Manning,  of 
company  C,  was  shot  dead  in  the  rifle-pits.  He  was 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  305 

one  of  the  best  men  in  the  regiment,  a  thorough  chris- 
tion,  full  of  patience  and  patriotism,  living  with  his 
Bible  in  his  hand  and  leaning  on  his  God.  lie  was  the 
last  man  we  had  killed  in  the  service. 

April  8th,  the  I3th  and  last  day  of  the  siege,  opened 
fair  and  cool  after  a  heavy  rain  on  the  /th.  Skirmishing 
had  been  going  on  all  night,  but  there  had  been  very 
little  artillery  firing.  About  noon  we  received  orders 
to  be  ready  to  march  with  twenty  days'  rations  ;  five  in 
haversacks  and  fifteen  in  wagons.  This  the  men  did  not 
relish.  It  seemed  like  cheating  them  out  of  the  fruits  of 
a  well-earned  victory.  The  order  was  caused  by  a  false 
alarm  of  Confederate  troops  gathering  near  Stockton. 
At  five  P.  M.  our  brigade  was  ordered  into  the  rifle-pits, 
as  there  was  to  be  a  general  bombardment.  Soon  after, 
it  began  from  ninety-six  guns,  fifty-three  of  which  were 
siege  guns.  The  enemy  also  were  shelling  heavily,  hav 
ing  commenced  a  little  before  we  did,  and  the  effect  was 
terrific. 

The  corps  commanders  had  discretionary  orders  from 
the  beginning  of  the  siege  to  take  every  advantage  that 
promised  decisive  results,  and  those  orders  had  been 
communicated  to  division  commanders.  Just  when  the 
cannonading  was  at  its  height,  Gen.  Carr  determined  to 
carry  a  crest  covered  with  pines  on  the  enemy's  left, 
constituting  a  sort  of  detached  portion  of  their  works, 
for  the  purpose  of  planting  a  battery.  The  execution 


306  HISTORY  OF  THE 


of  this  undertaking  was  given  by  Col.  Geddes  to  Lieut. 
Col.  Bell,  of  the  8th  Iowa,  who  accomplished  it  gal 
lantly,  though  not  without  severe  loss.  In  doing  it  he 
had  pushed  forward  only  three  companies  of  his  regi 
ment,  while  all  the  rest  of  the  brigade  was  engaged  in 
the  rifle-pits,  where  the  firing  was  so  heavy  that  it  some 
what  blinded  the  rebels  to  what  was  being  done  on  their 
left.  So  when  those  who  were  first  attacked  had  yield 
ed,  and  the  victorious  8th  moved  on  to  adjacent  pits, 
they  were  a  perfect  surprise  to  their  occupants,  who 
either  surrendered  or  were  shot  down  in  their  tracks. 
In  this  way  the  gallant  8th  took  and  occupied  about  300 
yards  of  the  Confederate  works,  with  three  stands  of 
colors  and  about  350  prisoners  before  enemies  or  friends 
hardly  realized  what  was  being  attempted.  In  fact  it 
was  a  surprise  to  themselves,  and  was  one  of  the  most 
dashing  and  brilliant  exploits  of  the  war.  It  was  now, 
and  had  been  some  time  quite  dark,  but  gaining  a  knowl 
edge  of  what  was  going  forward,  the  rest  of  the  brigade, 
including  our  regiment,  gallantly  rushed  out  of  the 
trenches  and  entered  the  works.  Apprehending  an 
attack,  we  were  ordered  to  commence  intrenching  to 
hold  our  ground,  as  no  other  portion  of  the  besieging 
force  was  in  concert  with  us.  This  we  actually  com 
menced  to  do.  But  our  regiment  was  soon  formed  in 
line  to  repel  assault,  one  having  just  been  made  upon 
the  8th  Iowa  advance,  and  repelled.  Company  A,  un 
der  Lieut.  W.  F.  Dodge  was  then  sent  out  as  a  skirmish 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  307 

line  to  feel  of  the  enemy  on  our  right  front,  while  com 
pany  F,  commanded  by  Capt.  N.  H.  Pratt,  was  sent 
out  for  the  same  purpose  in  front  of  our  left  Capt. 
Pratt  deployed  his  company  with  his  left  resting  on  the 
enemy's  main  line  of  works,  and  swept  forward.  After 
advancing  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  a  piece  of 
artillery  opened  on  them  with  grape,  but  they  speedily 
captured  it,  sustaining  no  damage,  and  with  it  eight  or 
ten  prisoners  and  another  gun.  Sending  his  prisoners 
to  the  rear,  the  Captain  requested  permission  to  con 
tinue  his  advance,  giving  as  a  reason  that  he  believed 
the  enemy  were  evacuating,  and  these  few  men  were 
only  a  feint  to  cover  the  escape  of  the  main  body. 

Company  F  continued  to  move  forward,  capturing 
eight  or  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  and  more  men  than  its 
own  force  numbered,  till  nearly  midnight.  Some  of  the 
men  inquired  if  the  Captain  was  going  to  take  company 
F  to  Mobile  unsupported.  But  at  last  the  rest  of  the 
regiment  came  up  to  find  the  rebels  really  gone,  pene 
trating  as  far  in  the  darkness  as  Old  Spanish  Fort,  which 
it  reached  about  midnight.  Here  we  stacked  arms  and 
rested  a  little,  scrambling  meantime  for  the  possession 
of  the  guns,  and  for  the  hams  and  corn  meal  left  by  the 
garrison.  But  very  soon  the  "Octorara, "  not  knowing 
of  the  change  of  administration  in  the  Fort,  sent  a  hun 
dred-pounder  shell  at  us,  and  it  was  deemed  prudent  to 
withdraw.  So  we  returned  to  our  quarters,  reaching 
them  about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  confidant  that 


308  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

we  had  done  a  pretty  good  night's  work.  The  division 
took  about  500  prisoners,  of  which  we  took  our  full 
share.  The  troops  on  our  left  took  the  confederates  in 
the  rifle-pits  in  front  of  them,  who  had  been  left  to  their 
fate  by  the  retreating  garrison,  but  they  did  not  do  it 
until  after  midnight  upon  learning  that  the  Fort  as  in 
our  hands. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  309 


CHAPTER    XX. 


On  the  move  again. — Halt. — Blakely  fallen. — Brigade  meeting. — Off 
for  Montgomery. — Baldwin  county  pines. — Laurels. — Florida. — 
Accident. — News. — Cheer  upon  cheer.— Flags  by  the  way. — A  Union 
woman. — Greenville. —  Two  hundred  guns. — "Secesh." — Mont 
gomery. — Camp,  and  strawberries. — Provost  duty. — Officers  quar 
tered  out. — Daily  Advertiser. — Lincoln  assassinated. — May  1st. — 
Chaplain's  meeting. 


WE  SLEPT  LATE  the  morning  of  April  pth  ;  it 
was  still,  and  we  were  so  weary.  About  eleven 
o'clock  we  were  ordered  to  march,  and  a  little  after 
twelve  we  bade  good  by  to  our  burrows  and  bomb- 
proofs,  and  our  beds  of  pine  straw,  and  also  to  the 
graves  of  our  brave  comrades,  and  started,  as  we  sup 
posed,  for  Blakely.  We  moved  to  the  rear  and  north 
ward,  crossed  bayou  Minette,  and  going  about  three  and 
a  half  miles,  bivouacked  for  the  night.  All  day  long 
our  artillery  from  Spanish  Fort  had  been  pushing  for 
Blakely  ;  and  all  day  long  we  had  heard  the  thunder  in 
that  direction.  But  here  we  were,  in  a  beautiful  pine 
grove,  ready  to  enjoy  the  sweet  stillness  of  a  Sabbath 


310  HISTORY  OF  THE 


evening,  if  we  should  be  permitted  to  do  so,  with  the 
consciousness  that  our  part  of  the  fighting  here  was 
done,  and  well  done,  and  the  hope  that  Blakely  would 
prove  to  be  the  "last  ditch"  of  the  confederacy,  as  we 
already  had  rumors  of  the  fall  of  Richmond.  It  was  a 
pleasant  halt.  The  next  morning  all  was  still  to  the 
northward,  but  the  batteries  on  the  river  below  us, 
Huger  and  Tracy,  shelled  the  bridge  by  which  we  had 
crossed  bayou  Minette,  quite  heavily,  and  somewhat  an 
noyed  our  troops  that  were  crossing.  As  a  conse 
quence,  the  battery  on  Bay  Minette  opened  on  them 
with  spirit,  and  another  one  was  planted  near  where  we 
now  were  on  the  north  shore  of  Bay  Minette,  to  rake 
them  in  the  morning.  We  soon  learned  that  Blakely 
had  been  taken  by  assault  the  evening  before,  and  the 
prisoners  began  to  pass  by  early  in  the  day.  There 
were  in  all  nearly  3,000,  of  whom  very  many  were  espe 
cially  noticeable  from  their  extreme  old  age  or  youthful- 
ness.  They  were  Thomas'  Alabama  reserves,  and  truly, 
as  was  often  said,  both  the  cradle  and  the  grave  rad 
been  robbed  to  furnish  them.  They  appeared  surprised 
to  find  so  many  "boys  in  blue,"  lining  the  road  to  Span 
ish  Fort,  as  though  they  had  thought  .ve  were  all  at 
Blakely,  and  would  often  ask,  "where  did  you  Yanks 
all  come  from  ?"  At  ten  o'clock  on  the  nth  we  moved 
camp  about  three  miles,  as  it  was  expected  Huger  and 
Tracy  would  reply  to  our  new  battery  as  soon  as  it 
opened,  and  that  would  imperil  us.  As  expected,  we 
had  but  just  gone  when  the  shells  began  to  mow  down 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  311 


the  trees  in  what  had  been  our  camp,  cutting  one  off 
about  a  foot  in  diameter  close  by  where  the  Colonel's 
tent  had  stood.  This  was  the  last  of  Huger  and  Tracy, 
as  they  were  both  evacuated  in  the  night  following,  and 
our  gun-boats  ran  up  to  Blakely.  The  same  day  Admi 
ral  Thatcher,  with  the  I3th  Corps,  crossed  to  Mobile. 

We  remained  in  camp  near  Blakely,  on  the  I2th, 
looking  over  the  forsaken  place,  and  conversing  with  the 
rebel  wounded.  We  found  the  colored  division,  under 
General  Hawkins,  had  done  good  service  in  the  siege, 
and  had  lost  quite  heavily  ;  more  than  the  white  troops. 
There  was  no  imputation  upon  their  courage,  but  quite 
the  contrary. 

The  night  of  the  I2th  we  had  a  brigade  service.  Col. 
Howe  had  been  called  out  the  evening  of  the  loth,  and 
made  a  congratulatory  speech,  reading  a  circular  con 
taining  the  tidings  of  the  fall  of  Richmond,  and  the  pa 
triotic  side  of  our  exploits  had  been  well  brought  out  in 
songs,  cheers  and  general  felicitations.  But  now  it  be 
gan  to  be  felt  that  we  ought  to  unite  in  a  kind  of  thanks 
giving  service  to  God  for  the  victories  vouchsafed  us, 
and  the  prospects  of  returning  peace.  So  the  brigade 
band  played  the  "call"  in  the  twilight,  and  the  men 
assembled  in  their  strength  under  the  pines,  near  Col. 
Geddes'  headquarters.  Chaplain  Gue,  of  the  io8th 
Illinois,  opened  the  services.  Chaplain  Howard  preached 
from  Ps.  50:  14,  15.  ''Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving; 
and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High  :  and  call  upon 
me  in  the  day  of  trouble  :  I  will  deliver  thee,  and 


312  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

thou  shalt  glorify  me;"  and  Chaplain  Garner,  of  the 
8 1st  Illinois,  closed.  It  was  a  scene  long  to  be  remem 
bered,  in  which  we  seemed  to  get  a  very  firm  hold  upon 
the  promises  of  God  as  the  representatives  of  our  na 
tion,  in  which  light  we  regarded  ourselves  and  our  serv 
ice.  And  the  pines  of  Alabama  rang  out  with  the  sweet 
notes  of  our  praise  to  the  God  of  battles,  in  sympathy 
with  the  booming  of  liberty's  guns,  whose  echoes  then 
had  scarcely  ceased.  We  all  enjoyed  it  most  heartily. 

The  morning  of  the  I3th  was  rainy  and  disagreeable. 
We  were  ordered  to  move  at  eleven.  While  waiting 
we  heard  the  firing  at  Mobile  in  honor  of  our  occupation 
of  the  city.  Even  the  booming  of  the  guns  proclaimed 
their  office.  It  was  not  death  and  war,  it  was  life  and 
peace  they  were  bellowing  from  their  flaming  throats. 

About  the  time  set  we  swung  out,  as  we  afterwards 
learned,  for  Montgomery,  170  miles  distant  by  rail,  and 
more  than  that  by  wagon  road.  We  took  the  Stockton 
road,  passed  through  the  camp  of  Gen.  Hawkins'  divis 
ion,  and  marched  about  nine  miles.  Our  camp  for  the 
night  was  a  very  pleasant  one,  and  we  enjoyed  it  much. 
All  were  in  excellent  spirits.  Ihe  next  day  we  started 
at  seven  o'clock,  struck  east,  leaving  our  road  of  the  day 
before,  crossed  a  railroad  track,  and  reached  another 
road  where  we  found  Gen.  Garrard's  division  was  pass 
ing.  Here  we  halted  for  them  to  go  by,  and  then  pulled 
out  very  rapidly,  making  about  sixteen  miles.  The  roads 
were  bad  for  the  teams,  which  often  stuck  in  the  sand, 
and  the  walking  was  far  from  being  easy  for  the  men. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  313 

The  country  was  the  same  unbroken  pine  forest,  liter 
ally  good  for  nothing,  reminding  one  of  the  answer  in 
the  old  geographies  to  the  question,  "What  are  the 
principal  productions  of  North  Carolina?" — "Pitch,  tar 
and  turpentine."  We  saw  residents  at  only  two  houses, 
and  they  were  near  where  we  camped.  And  it  would 
be  difficult  to  tell  which  looked  the  worse,  the  dilapida 
ted,  tumble-down  houses,  or  the  squalid  inmates.  But 
our  camp  was  pleasant,  as  a  camp  among  the  pines 
always  is,  in  good  weather,  when  pine  straw  is  abundant 
for  beds. 

The  1 5th  was  lowery,  but  we  had  had  a  good  rest, 
and  started  early,  pushing  along  through  the  same  kind 
of  country  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than  the  day  before,  and 
making  the  same  distance.  We  got  our  tents  up  and 
into  them  just  in  time  to  escape  a  fine  shower,  having 
gained  about  two  and  a  half  hours  on  yesterday  by  our 
greater  speed.  But  we — and  particularly  the  sore 
footed — did  not  see  any  wisdom  in  that,  and  would  have 
preferred  being  till  six  o'clock  making  the  distance, 
instead  of  accomplishing  it  at  half-past  three.  There 
was  some  gain  however,  for  we  had  time  to  enjoy  the 
banks  of  a  beautiful  stream  of  water,  which  was  fringed 
by  a  species  of  laurel  that  was  in  full  bloom,  and  very 
elegant.  It  was  new  to  most  of  us,  and  is  a  delightful 
remembrance  to  those  who  love  flowers,  even  till  this 
day.  We  probably  passed  a  half  dozen  occupied  houses 
during  the  day. 


314  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

The  1 6th  we  were  in  the  rear  and  did  not  get  off  till 
two  and  a  half  o'clock  p.  M.  The  ist  division  led,  and 
as  the  2d  went  by  about  1 1  o'clock,  having  marched  five 
miles,  they  were  inquiring  for  a  camp.  Whether  be 
cause  they  were  tired  out,  or  because  they  thought  we 
had  already  gone  into  camp,  we  could  not  tell.  We 
moved  along  quite  pleasantly,  after  we  got  started,  and 
reached  camp  at  eight  o'clock,  having  made  about  twelve 
miles.  The  country  was  a  little  better,  and  we  saw  some 
more  signs  of  life  and  civilization.  We  actually  saw 
corn  growing,  the  first  in  Alabama,  it  being  about  three 
inches  high.  How  different  from  the  corn  in  Louisiana 
in  the  spring  of  1863.  We  were  still  said  to  be  in  Bald 
win  county,  the  same  that  we  had  been  in  ever  since 
we  crossed  the  bay. 

It  was  supposed  at  the  time,  that  this  day,  or  the  day 
before  we  crossed  a  little  corner  of  Florida,  but  from 
later  investigation  we  find  it  quite  unlikely,  to  say  the 
least.  There  was  no  one  on  the  route  for  two  or  three 
days  that  seemed  to  know  where  we  were,  so  our 
information  was  very  meagre. 

The  i/th  we  got  off  at  seven  o'clock,  and  moved 
along  quite  lively  till  we  crossed  the  Escambia,  or  as 
the  natives  called  it,  the  "Scamby. "  Then  we  increas 
ed  our  speed  considerably  for  some  distance,  till  a  halt 
was  very  welcome.  Later  in  the  day  we  forded  the 
Little  Escambia,  the  water  being  about  two  and  a  half 
feet  deep.  This  day  the  country  began  to  improve  and 
some  few  farms  were  seen,  which  were  at  least  good  to 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  315 

look  at.  The  timber  began  to  change  and  while  the 
pine  abounded,  it  was  mostly  of  another  variety,  the 
'  'pinus  mitis, "  or  the  short  leaved  yellow  pine.  Most 
magnificent  oaks  skirted  the  streams,  of  the  willow  va 
rieties,  some  of  which  were  evergreen,  while  the  shingle 
and  chestnut  oaks  were  plenty.  Our  old  friends  of  Mis 
sissippi,  the  bay,  holly,  gum  and  poplar  began  to  appear. 
We  made  about  sixteen  miles  and  bivouacked  in  a  very 
pleasant  place  at  four  o'clock.  A  sad  accident  occurred 
just  after  dark  in  company  K.  We  all  heard  the  report 
of  a  small  pistol,  followed  by  a  scream  from  the  midst 
of  a  knot  of  men  seated  by  a  camp  fire,  and  observing 
a  commotion  immediately  after,  we  ran  to  the  spot  to 
find  that  Capt.  Sanders  had  accidentally  discharged  his 
pistol  into  the  eye  of  one  of  his  men.  It  was  a  pop-gun 
affair,  and  the  ball  passed  some  few  feet  before  taking 
effect,  but  it  had  been  a  center  shot  in  the  right  eye  of 
Ethan  M.  Murgel,  completely  bursting  it  without  break 
ing  the  skin  around  it.  The  ball  seemed  to  be  lodged 
near  the  skin  about  two  inches  back  on  the  temple,  as 
though  the  bone  had  been  broken  outward,  a  great 
bunch  having  risen  there  almost  immediately.  Surgeon 
Kay  was  soon  on  hand  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  make 
the  poor  sufferer  comfortable,  but  did  not  succeed  in 
extracting  the  ball.  We  feared  it  would  terminate  mor 
tally,  dut  it  did  not.  He  stood  it  bravely,  keeping 
along  with  us  in  the  ambulance  to  Montgomery,  and 
was  discharged  June  25th  for  disability,  having  fully  re 
covered,  minus  the  eye. 


316  HISTORY  OF  THE  124'rn 

The  1 8th  we  marched  at  six  A.  M.,  the  country  still 
improving.  Passed  two  or  three  quite  fine  houses, 
really  guilty  of  having  been  painted.  Went  through 
the  litlle  hamlet  of  "Burnt  Corn,"  where  we  saw  a  man 
at  work  in  a  wagon  shop  as  though  peace  had  come  sure 
enough.  The  boys  did  some  foraging  and  some  pur 
chasing  by  the  way.  Guards  were  stationed  at  every 
house  to  prevent  the  former,  but  they  did  little  more 
than  make  believe.  The  cheeky  soldiers  were  not  de 
terred  by  them  in  the  least.  The  difficulty  in  buying 
was  in  paying.  The  inhabitants  had  become  for  the 
most  part,  sick  of  their  own  money,  and  did  not  quite  see 
their  way  clear  to  take  ours.  And  if  they  did  take  it, 
they  wanted  the  same  prices  for  their  truck  that  they 
had  been  getting  for  it  in  confederate  scrip,  which  of 
course  we  could  not  stand.  Two  dollars  and  a  half  a 
dozen  for  eggs,  was  a  little  too  steep.  We  got  into 
camp  at  three  o'clock,  having  marched  our  average  six 
teen  miles.  A  few  prisoners  were  captured  by  some  of 
our  command  and  passed  to  the  rear,  and  we  saw  a  few 
straggling  chestnut  trees  during  the  day,  which  served 
to  vary  the  forest  scenery. 

We  left  this  Alabama  pine  home  about  noon,  the 
ipth,  being  behind  again.  Troops  had  been  marching 
by  ever  since  daylight.  We  moved  on  slowly  through 
about  the  same  kind  of  a  country  as  yesterday,  not 
reaching  camp,  which  was  an  unusually  poor  one,  till 
after  night,  but  making  our  usual  distance.  But  we 
were  all  in  glowing  spirits.  No  night  in  all  our  marches 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  317 

had  we  gone  into  camp  with  a  prouder  step  and  lighter 
hearts  than  this.  And  this  was  the  reason  of  it :  About 
three  o'clock  a  courrier  had  overtaken  us  from  Mobile 
with  the  official  announcement  that  Lee  and  Johnston 
had  surrendered,  and  the  rebel  government  had  fled. 
As  regiment  after  regiment  behind  us  heard  the  news, 
they  cheered  to  the  echo.  Their  shouts  almost  rent  the 
air.  Soon  it  was  our  turn,  and  then  they  caught  it  up 
beyond  us  as  the  escort  sped  on,  hastening  to  the  front. 
How  the  volleys  of  cheers  rolled  out.  The  entrails  had 
dropped  out  of  the  rebellion  at  last.  The  end  had 
come.  Though  "it  was  long,  long,  long  on  the  way," 
it  had  come.  Jeff.  Davis  was  a  fugitive.  "Glory  be  to 
God,"  we  said,  and  then  we  shouted  again.  The  na 
tives  began  to  inquire  what  it  all  meant,  and  we  to 
tell  them.  They  were  all  out  of  their  houses  to  see  and 
hear  now,  and  seemed  to  be  as  deeply  interested  as  we, 
though  differently,  perhaps. 

Both  yesterday  and  to-day  were  remarkable  for  a  dis 
play  of  flags  at  the  houses,  which  in  this  improved 
country  were  quite  thick.  Mostly  they  were  only  white 
cloth,  signifying  a  desire  to  be  kindly  treated.  But 
occasionally  they  were  more  pretentions.  One  said, 
"The  Union  forever,"  and  another,  "The  United  States 
forever."  Doubtless  there  was  real  loyalty  in  this  por 
tion  of  Alabama,  before  it  was  crushed  out  by  Wm.  L. 
Yancey  and  others  of  his  stripe.  And  their  flags  might 
have  represented  the  sentiments  of  their  owners;  at 
least  we  thought  so,  for  how  could  anybody  be  other 


318  HISTORY  OF  THE 


than  Union  then.  There  was  no  confederacy  any  more  ; 
and  so  we  kindly  returned  all  their  advances,  whether 
white  or  colored,  accepted  all  the  flowers  they  offered 
us  from  their  yards  in  passing,  which  were  not  a  few, 
and  actually  wore  button-hole  bouquets  presented  by 
rebel  fingers,  for  the  first  time  in  the  south.  Occasion 
ally  a  lady  would  express  Union  sentiments  in  conver 
sation  with  us,  the  like  of  which  we  had  never  heard  in 
Dixie  before.  Sometime  in  the  afternoon  we  passed 
through  a  little  burg  called  ''Midway,"  but  midway 
between  what  or  where  we  did  not  learn. 

April  2Oth  we  jogged  along  finely  and  easily,  though 
there  were  a  great  many  sore  feet  in  the  army.  The 
day  was  cool  and  the  roads  were  good.  We  crossed 
Sturtevant's  creek,  quite  a  stream,  flowing  to  our  left 
towards  the  Alabama.  We  also  passed  the  home  of  the 
then  Governor  of  Alabama,  Thomas  Hill  Watts,  and 
where  his  mother  then  resided.  She  did  not  appear,  as 
the  inhabitants  had  generally  done  since  the  news  ;  too 
much  secesh  dignity  for  that.  But  the  colored  girls 
were  distributing  pinks  to  the  officers  while  passing. 
We  again  marched  about  sixteen  miles,  and  went  into 
camp  on  Pine  Barren  creek  at  night.  This  was  the  last 
of  our  pine  camps,  our  whispering  homes  in  Dixie. 

The  2  1st  was  a  day  long  to  be  remembered  on  account 
of  the  rain  and  mud  ;  both  were  fearful.  The  soldiers 
plodded  through,  wet,  drabbled,  and  thoroughly  dis 
gusted,  peace  or  no  peace.  Teams  stuck,  unloaded, 
and  corralled,  were  abundant.  The  supply  train  was 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  319 

left  hopeless  in  the  rear.  The  1st  and  3d  divisions 
reached  Greenville,  the  county  seat  of  Butler  county, 
and  camped,  having  gone  thirteen  miles,  and  about  as 
hard  a  thirteen  miles  as  any  we  ever  traveled  in  the 
south. 

But  the  day  furnished  a  story  of  a  model  Union 
woman,  to  embellish  our  regimental  history,  which 
oucrht  to  outlive  the  recollection  of  the  rain  and  mud. 

o 

The  Chaplain  and  Serg't.  Maj.  Wharton  rode  ahead, 
by  permission  of  the  Colonel,  to  find  a  place  to  warm, 
dry,  and  rest  a  little,  if  possible,  and  procure  some  re 
freshments,  as  nothing  could  be  had  on  the  road. 
Selecting  a  house  which  looked  rather  inviting,  where 
no  horses  were  already  hitched,  they  stopped  and  made 
their  wants  known,  being  kindly  received.  The  family 
consisted  of  a  lank,  elderly  man,  the  husband  and  father, 
by  the  name  of  Cheatham,  with  his  wife  and  two  daugh 
ters  in-law.  Both  of  the  latter  were  widows,  their  hus 
bands  having  been  killed  in  the  war.  The  man  was  too 
a^ed  even  for  the  Alabama  reserves,  and  so  was  at  home, 
but  the  family  could  evidently  have  gotten  along  very 
well  without  him,  for  in  the  house,  at  least,  he  was  only 
a  Lieutenant,  with  no  prospect  of  promotion.  The 
mother  was  an  invalid,  though  her  disease,  whatever  it 
was,  did  not  affect  her  tongue  in  the  least.  All  these 
things  were  rapidly  noticed  while  a  warm  fire  was  being 
built  and  the  table  spread  by  the  mother's  direction,  the 
old  man  going  after  a  couple  of  chickens  at  her  bidding. 
The  girls  were  very  chipper  for  widows  of  so  recent  a 


320  HISTORY  OF  THE 


date.  They  explained  how  they  had  managed  to  keep 
up  style  since  the  blockade  had  diminished  their  resour 
ces,  showing  the  hats  their  own  deft  fingers  had  braided, 
and  the  trimming  for  them  which  their  feminine  skill 
had  constructed  out  of  scarlet,  white  and  yellow  flannel 
by  twisting.  They  also  apologized  for  not  wearing 
mourning,  as  it  was  not  to  be  had,  etc.  ,  etc.  ,  all  of  which 
was  very  interesting.  Meantime  various  remarks  were 
dropped  in  the  interest  of  peace  and  union,  and  lament 
ing  the  cruelties  of  the  war,  which  they  pronounced 
uncalled  for  and  inhuman,  until  we  were  prepared  to 
expect  almost  anything  in  the  way  of  union  sentiment 
from  any  one  of  the  family.  The  dinner  was  discussed 
in  due  time,  all  sitting  down  to  it  together,  as  is  the 
custom  in  the  north,  but  not  in  the  south,  and  ample 
justice  was  done  to  it,  the  old  lady  in  particular  seeming 
to  enjoy  it  amazingly.  At  last  the  regiment  having 
come  up,  Wharton  left,  and  the  Chaplain  was  preparing 
to  follow,  he  having  lain  down  on  a  lounge  for  a  little 
while  to  rest,  when  the  mother  expressed  a  desire  for  a 
few  words  more,  and  the  following  conversation  occurred  : 

"So,  Chaplain,  you  really  think  that  the  war  is  ended, 
that  there  will  be  no  more  of  this  cruel  fighting  and 
bloodshed  among  us,  do  you.  Chaplain?" 

"Yes,  madam,  I  think  the  war  is  over,  or  nearly  so. 
There  may  be  a  little  skirmishing  beyond  the  Mississippi, 
or  in  isolated  places  yet,  but  there  probably  will  be  no 
more  heavy  fighting.  " 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  321 

And  then  the  invalid  swayed  herself  to  and  fro  in  her 
easy  chair,  and  raising  her  eyes  and  hands  toward  heaven, 
said : 

"Bless  the  Lord.  O,  how  glad  I  am  to  hear  it.  Bless 
the  Lord." 

"But,  Chaplain,  do  you  think  the  north  and  south 
will  come  together  in  peace,  and  love  each  other  as  they 
used  to,  and  do  business  together  as  though  the  war  had 
never  been,  do  you  Chaplain  ?" 

"Yes,  madam,  I  think  so.  It  may  be  some  time  first, 
but  ultimately  I  think  the  breaches  will  all  be  healed, 
business  will  resume  its  channels,  and  our  relations  will 
be  as  close  and  pleasant  as  before  the  war,  if  not  more 
so,  now  the  disturbing  element  of  slavery  is  out  of  the 
way." 

"Bless  the  Lor-d.  Husband,  do  you  hear  that?  Girls, 
do  you  hear  it  ?  Bless  the  Lord.  O,  my  heart  is  glad 
to  hear  such  words.  I  never  expected  to  hear  them 
again,  never.  I  had  given  up  all  hopes.  Bless  the 
Lord." 

And  she  almost  fainted,  seemingly,  in  her  ecstacy. 
It  made  a  profound  impression  upon  the  Chaplain.  He 
expected  to  hear  some  noble  union  utterances  in  a  mo 
ment  more.  As  soon  as  she  had  recovered  her  breath 
a  little,  during  which  time  no  one  spoke,  she  began 
again. 

"But,  Chaplain,  just  see  here.  Now  you  know  there's 
been  a  great  deal  of  bad  blood  stirred  up  ;  more'n  there 
ought  to  have  been,  Chaplain,  and  do  you  think  folks 


322  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rn 

will  get  over  it  ?  Do  you  think  we  can  go  up  north  like 
we  used  to,  and  you  come  down  here,  and  take  papers, 
and  all  such  things,  and  go  on  and  live  together  just  as 
though  this  awful,  wicked  war  had  never  been  ?  Do  you 
think  that,  Chaplain  ?  Can  you  think  it  ?"  And  she 
almost  screamed  as  she  gesticulated  in  her  earnestness. 

"Yes,  madam,  I  do  believe  that  not  only  is  the  war 
over,  but  very  soon  its  bitterness  and  enmities,  and 
ruptures  in  social  and  business  relations  will  be  past, 
and  we  shall  come  the  closer  together  from  Maine  to 
Texas,  and  from  the  great  lakes  to  the  gulf,  for  these 
few  years'  trial  of  each  others'  mettle,  power,  and  needs. 
War  will  prove  under  God  a  broom  to  sweep  away  mis 
understandings  and  wrongs,  and  a  cement  to  unite  us 
more  closely  together  forever." 

And  then  she  rose  from  her  chair,  and  striking  an  atti 
tude  of  over-mastering  joy,  raised  her  clasped  hands 
toward  heaven,  and  cried  out,  "O,  my  soul,  bless  the 
Lord.  I  will  praise  him.  Do  you  hear  what  the  Chap 
lain  says  ?  Do  you — hear  it  ?  He  says  we  shall  all 
come  together,  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  just  as 
though  nothing  had  ever  happened.  That's  what  he 
says.  And  then" — and  the  climax  was  evidently  com 
ing,  for  she  was  almost  wild  with  joyous  emotion — "and 
then  I  can  get  some  more  of  Jayne's  pills,  Chaplain  ; 
some  more  of  Jayne's  pills  ;  I  have'nt  had  any  for  two 
years,  Chaplain  ;  not  for  two  years.  I  laid  in  for  two 
years  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  Chaplain,  but  I've 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  323 

been  out  for  two  years.  Now  I  can  get  some  more, 
O,  bless  the  Lord." 

And  she  sank  back  in  her  chair  exhausted,  with  her 
hands  upon  her  face,  sobbing,.  "Bless  the  Lord,"  while 
the  Chaplain  bade  her  good  by,  with  thanks  to  the  rest 
of  the  family,  and  closed  the  door  upon  the  scene,  mus 
ing  upon  the  depth  and  quality  of  southern  union 
sentiment. 

Greenville  we  found  to  be  a  small,  uninteresting  place, 
on  the  railroad  from  Tensas  Landing  to  Montgomery, 
about  forty-five  miles  from  the  latter.  It  rejoiced  in  a 
small,  confederate  hospital,  and  a  few  poorly  constructed 
barracks,  and  contained  a  good  many  refugees  from 
Pensacola  and  Barrancas.  We  found  quite  a  number  of 
paroled  rebel  soldiers  promenading  the  grass-grown 
streets,  in  a  listless  uncertain  way,  as  though  they 
scarcely  knew  what  to  do  with  themselves.  But  they 
were  all  defiant  and  consequental  as  though  they  had 
never  been  whipped,  and  expected  to  close  the  war  with 
an  overwhelming  southern  victory  the  next  day. 

The  command  did  not  move  the  22d,  except  to  bring 
up  the  trains  and  those  in  the  rear,  but  having  received 
orders  from  the  War  Department  to  that  effect,  pro 
ceeded  to  give  expression  to  our  opinions  of  the  surren 
der  of  Lee  and  Johnson  by  firing  two  hundred  guns. 
This  we  did  at  two  o'clock  p.  M. ,  waking  the  echos  of 
Butler  county  quite  extensively,  and  of  Greenville  in 
particular,  our  brigade  band  meanwhile  discoursing  its 
sweetest  music  at  General  Carr's  headquarters. 


324  HISTORY  OF  THE   124x11 

The  rebels  had  heard  a  rumor  of  Lee's  surrender 
before  we  reached  the  place,  but  were  very  incredulous. 
They  had  thought  him  to  be  invincible.  As  soon  as  we 
arrived  they  eagerly  inquired  of  us  about  it,  hoping  it 
lacked  confirmation.  Upon  our  declaring  it  to  be  true, 
they  would  turn  away  sadly,  for  the  most  part  convinced 
it  was  so,  but  a  few  determined  not  to  believe  it  at  all, 
and  one  violent,  opinionated  rebel  declared  he  would 
not,  even  if  Jesus  Christ  said  it  was  so.  The  salute  of 
the  afternoon  gave  it  official  emphasis  to  all. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  ignorance  of  a  portion  of  the 
rebel  army,  the  following  are  told  : 

Upon  talking  with  a  paroled  soldier,  possessed  of 
average  intelligence,  upon  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  close 
of  the  war,  adverse  to  the  south,  he  ventured  to  dissent 
very  strongly.  The  south  was  not  whipped ;  she  could 
not  be ;  it  was  folly  to  think  of  such  a  thing.  We  asked 
why  he  thought  so ;  her  cities  and  seaports  were  in  our 
hands,  her  great  Captain  had  surrendered ;  what  could 
she  do?  He  replied  that  we  might  take  Vicksburg, 
Mobile,  Charleston  and  Richmond,  as  we  probably  had 
done,  but  there  were  places  we  could  not  take.  Upon 
pressing  him  to  tell  what  places,  he  at  last  replied,  with 
a  candor  that  was  transparent,  "You  cannot  take 
Island  No.  10. " 

The  other  is,  if  possible,  still  more  ridiculous,  but 
unfortunately  not  as  well  authenticated  : 

The  fact  was  being  urged  by  one  of  the  rebel  soldiers, 
in  the  presence  of  a  squad  of  our  boys,  that  we  were  not 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  325 

Yankees ;  we  were  western  men.  They  could  whip 
Yankees  ;  Lee's  army  had  uniformly  done  so,  and  they 
could.  This  was  often  presented  by  the  defeated  rebels 
in  the  southwest,  as  an  apology  for  their  failures,  and 
our  boys  had,  as  often  wished,  to  take  the  lingering 
conceit  out  of  them  some  way,  if  possible ;  so  on  this 
occasion  one  of  the  boys  said,  "I'm  a  Yankee."  "Be 
ye?"  said  Johnny,  "one  of  the  reg'lar  kind  ?"  "Yis," 
said  our  Yankee,  adopting  the  twang,  "Yis,  I  s'pose 
I  be."  "One  of  the  wooden  nutmeg  kind?"  "Yis,  I 
s'pose  I  be."  "Well  thare,  now  do  you  think  you  can 
fool  me  on  one  of  them  things  ?  Mebbe  you  never 
made  any  yourself?"  "Yis,  I  s'pose  I  have."  "Well, 
I  say,  how  d'ye  do  it?  Just  whittle 'em  right  out?" 
"Yis,  that's  all.  It's  nothing  when  you  get  the  hang 
of  it."  "Well,  I  say,  you  hav'nt  got  one  about  ye, 
have  ye,  Mr.  ?  You  could'nt  fool  me  with  one  of  'em, 
no  how,  but  I'd  jest  like  to  see  one  of  the  things,  to 
see  how  it  looks."  Our  Ya*nkee  designedly  had  a  nut 
meg  in  his  pocket,  which  he  very  readily  handed  to 
Johnny,  as  the  last  specimen  of  his  jack-knife  manufac 
ture.  Johnny  took  it,  smelled  it,  whittled  it,  tasted  of 
it  with  the  utmost  pains-taking,  and  at  last  returned  it 
saying,  "I  be  durned  if  I  can  tell  whether  it  is  wooden 
or  ginooine,  and  if  you  can  whittle  out  such  nutmegs 
as  that,  I  can't  see  for  my  part  why  you  can't  fight  as 
well  as  anybody." 

Poor,    nonplused    fellow,    he   had    honestly    thought, 
with  thousands  of  others  in  the  south,  that  the  Yankees 


326  HISTORY  OF  THE 


actually   whittled   out  bogus  nutmegs   with  their  jack- 
knives. 

While  in  Greenville,  the  Chaplain  was  sitting,  with 
other  officers,  on  the  porch  at  a  Mr.  Quina's,  where 
several  of  the  citizens  were  gathered,  among  whom  was 
a  lady  by  the  name  of  Gonzales,  of  Spanish  extraction. 
She  was  an  interested  listener  to  all  the  conversation, 
but  said  nothing.  Presently  a  citizen  came  in  and  an 
nounced  that  her  husband  was  killed  at  West  Point, 
Georgia,  in  the  storming  of  that  place  by  Gen.  Wilson, 
six  days  before.  Poor  woman.  A  moment  before  she 
was  dreaming  of  peace,  and  thinking  of  her  husband, 
spared  to  her  clear  through  the  bloody  war,  in  which  so 
many  others  had  fallen.  But  now  at  the  very  last  min 
ute  the  cup  was  dashed  from  her  lips,  and  a  night  of 
deepest  anguish  had  closed  around  her.  How  she 
screamed  in  her  bewildering  grief,  and  her  daughter,  a 
bright  little  girl  of  seven  or  eight  years,  running  up  at 
that  instant,  attracted  by  her  mother's  cries,  upon  learn 
ing  the  cause,  added  her  shrieks  to  those  of  her  widowed 
mother.  And  as  they  were  locked  in  each  others'  arms, 
and  their  heart-rending  expressions  of  affection  for  the 
lost  one,  and  sympathy  for  each  other  found  such  pain 
ful  utterance,  we  of  the  north  had  a  new  exhibit  of  war, 
and  saw  in  that  southern  scene  a  picture  of  the  thousands 
through  all  the  land,  where  the  cruel  blight  had  fallen. 
Though  we  sympathized  deeply  with  the  stricken  ones 
before  us,  we  felt  as  never  before  for  the  widowed  and 
orphaned  of  our  own  loved  homes  in  the  north. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  327 

While  here  a  colored  woman  was  met,  surrounded  by 
others  who  corroborated  her  story,  who  was  one  of  the 
clearest  and  most  beautiful  white  persons  in  point  of 
complexion  we  ever  saw.  She  was  addressed  as  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  but  affirmed  she  was  a  slave, 
though  she  was  her  master's  daughter.  She  was  nursing 
a  babe  with  a  complexion  as  clear  as  her  own,  and  the 
interrogator  was  somewhat  bewildered  by  the  phase  of 
affairs,  when  she  said  it  was  her  master's  child  It  was 
thought  she  only  intended  to  refer  to  her  master's  owner 
ship  in  it,  it  being  her  child,  as  though  slavery  had  not 
been  abolished,  and  we  hastened  to  assure  them  all  that 
such  rights  and  ownerships  were  in  the  past ;  they  were 
absolutely  free.  But  she  blushingly  corrected  the  mis 
take  by  saying  she  meant  no  such  thing  ;  her  master 
was  her  babe's  father  as  well  as  her  own.  O,  slavery ! 

We  had  speaking  and  singing  at  our  headquarters 
that  night,  Col.  Howe  making  one  of  his  effective 
speeches,  while  "Nicodemus, "  ''Old  Shady,"  and  other 
songs  were  rendered  for  the  benefit  of  Greenville.  Gen. 
Grierson  and  his  cavalry  passed  through  during  the 
day. 

Sunday,  April  23d,  was  a  bright,  cool  day.  Our  tents 
were  struck  and  teams  loaded  at  seven  A.  M.,  and  at 
nine  we  were  on  the  move  again,  crossing  Persimmon 
and  Hall's  creeks,  and  taking  it  quite  leisurely  till  after 
nine  o'clock  at  night.  As  the  evening  came  on  it  was 
cold  enough  for  overcoats,  and  some  very  bad  places 


328  HISTORY  OF  THE 


were  found,   but  we  were   used  to  all  that.      We  made 
about  sixteen  miles. 

A  lovely  morning  greeted  us  upon  the  24th.  We 
rose  early  and  soon  dispatched  our  breakfast,  as  we  had 
not  much  to  eat ;  our  supply  train  was  not  yet  up.  Of 
course  we  did  some  little  foraging  during  the  day.  We 
marched  very  steadily  from  about  eight  A.  M.  to  five  P. 
M.,  going  full  twenty  miles,  and  passing  through  the 
village  of  Sandy  Ridge,  in  Lowndes  county,  on  the  way. 
We  crossed  the  Pintlalla  creek  by  the  Bethel  Baptist 
Church,  in  Montgomery  county,  and  went  into  camp  on 
the  plantation  of  Gen.  Wm.  L.  Allen,  with  our  whole 
division  in  sight.  Our  position  was  close  by  the  resi 
dence,  on  a  high  knoll,  with  a  beautiful  sward,  and 
although  we  lacked  our  long-time  bed  of  pine  straw,  we 
managed  to  make  ourselves  quite  comfortable,  and 
especially  so  because  of  the  distance  we  had  come. 
Gov.  Watts  met  us  here  with  a  flag  of  truce,  requesting 
us  not  to  enter  Montgomery.  O,  no.  The  city  must 
be  spared,  if  possible,  even  if  she  was  the  first  capital 
of  the  confederacy.  War  must  not  be  permitted  to  hurt 
her,  though  she  provoked  and  began  it,  and  certainly  no 
one  did  more  to  precipitate  the  war  upon  us  than  one  of 
Montgomery's  men,  Wm.  L.  Yancey.  Gov.  Watts 
might  have  improved  his  time  to  much  better  advantage 
in  getting  the  city  ready  to  receive  us,  for  his  requests 
and  pleadings  were  lost  upon  our  commander ;  they 
seemed  but  as  the  vaperings  of  an  idle  brain. 

We  found  a  rolling  and  better  improved  section  of  the 
country  after  leaving  Greenville,  with  many  abodes  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  329 

wealth  and  luxury.  Gen.  Allen,  where  we  were  en 
camped,  formerly  worked  forty  hands,  which  meant 
comparative  opulence.  In  speaking  of  a  man's  worth 
in  this  section  of  the  country,  instead  of  saying  as  at  the 
north,  he  is  worth  so  many  dollars,  the  statement  would 
invariably  be,  he  works  so  many  hands,  or  has  so  many 
mules.  No  reference  would  be  made  to  land,  even,  as 
that  was  of  comparatively  little  account.  But  the  labor, 
the  hands  and  mules,  they  were  all  important.  How 
unwittingly  oftentimes  truth  comes  to  be  spoken. 
Labor  is  wealth,  and  brawn  and  muscle  as  well  as  intel 
lect  and  character  are  above  acres  and  gold.  The  power 
of  production  for  the  good  of  our  race,  is  humanity's 
noblest  earthly  treasure,  and  he  who  has  it  in  himself  is 
rich  ;  more  independently  rich  than  he  who  can  com 
mand  it,  for  the  time  being,  in  others. 

Tuesday,  April  25th,  we  broke  camp  at  half-past  six 
A.  M.  ,  with  music  playing  and  banners  flying,  and  started 
for  Montgomery,  thirteen  miles  distant.  We  found  the 
country  still  improving,  and  gradually  becoming  more 
level.  The  soil  seemed  to  be  deeper  and  far  more  pro 
ductive,  the  maple  having  largely  taken  the  place  of  the 
pine.  Cotoma  creek  was  crossed  in  due  time,  and  about 
fifteen  minutes  past  one  we  slowly  entered  the  city,  as 
we  began  the  day's  march,  with  music  playing  and  ban 
ners  flying.  Our  objective  point  was  reached  at  last, 
and  our  weary  march  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles 
in  thirteen  days. 


230  HISTORY  OF  THE 


A  description  of  the  city  is  scarcely  called  for  in  this 
history.  We  found  it  pleasant  and  clean,  though  show 
ing  some  of  the  ravages  of  war.  Gen.  Wilson  had 
necessarily  punished  it  some  when  in  it  a  few  days  pre 
vious,  and  the  rebel  Gen.  Buford  had  punished  it  more 
just  before  it  fell  into  Gen.  Wilson's  hands,  having  burnt 
all  the  cotton  sheds  and  warehouses  with  their  contents, 
as  though  that  could  hurt  us.  The  people  lined  the 
streets  and  filled  the  yards  upon  our  entrance,  the  colored 
portion  of  course  giving  us  a  hearty  welcome.  A  local 
flag,  that  of  the  "Montgomery  True  Blues,"  was  flying 
from  the  dome  of  the  capital  ;  they  wanted  to  fly  some 
thing.  The  confederate  rag  they  dared  not  fly,  so  they 
simply  went  for  Montgomery.  ''Lord,  bless  me  and  my 
wife."  What  a  satire  upon  State  or  any  other  sover 
eignty  save  that  of  our  Nation.  What  a  ridiculous  posi 
tion  to  put  a  State  capital  in,  a  noble  city  in  such  a  coun 
try  as  ours.  Of  course  the  silly  make-shift  carne  down 
speedily;  and  the  glorious  stars  and  stripes  were  flung 
out  once  more  over  the  desecrated  spot  where  the  con 
federacy  was  cradled,  and  as  we  gazed  up  Pennsylvania 
street  at  the  graceful  folds,  it  seemed  as  though  the 
breath  of  Heaven  kissed  them  with  more  loving  tender 
ness  for  their  four  years'  absence.  It  was  a  proud 
moment  for  us,  and  one  full  of  happy  auguries  for  our 
Nation.  Such  occasions  went  far  to  make  us  forget  the 
hardships  and  losses  of  the  service. 

We  went  into  camp  in  a  very  pleasant,  shaded  lot  in 
side  the  city,  just  across  a  street  from  the  African  Metho- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  331 


dist,  or  Zion  Church  Immediately  in  our  rear  was  an 
extensive  strawberry  bed,  and  as  soon  as  our  guns  were 
stacked  the  strawberries  had  to  suffer.  They  were  just 
in  their  prime,  and  there  were  very  few  of  the  boys  who 
cared  to  do  so,  who  did  not  secure  a  fair  portion.  There 
was  no  one  to  say  us  nay.  or  claim  ownership.  We 
were  speedily  informed  that  our  brigade  was  to  do  gar 
rison  duty,  and  we  were  to  be  provost  guard  again,  Col. 
Geddes  being  Post  Commander.  This  was  eminently 
satisfactory  to  us,  and  we  proceeded  to  make  ourselves 
pretty  much  at  home. 

Our  officers'  mess,  which  had  flourished  hitherto,  now 
suffered  somewhat  from  the  farming  out  of  some  of  our 
officers  among  the  citizens.  We  had  but  little  more 
than  gone  into  camp  before  they  were  present  in  force 
to  offer  quarters  and  board  gratis,  for  the  sake  of  the 
protection  of  an  officer's  presence  in  their  houses,  and 
as  the  war  seemed  to  be  over  and  peace  at  hand,  it  was 
deemed  best  to  accept  their  hospitality  in  some  instan 
ces,  as  a  means  of  cultivating  those  friendly  relations 
which  it  would  be  for  the  interest  of  all  to  speedily 
restore.  So  the  Colonel  went  to  one  place,  the  Surgeon 
to  Judge  Saffolds  ,  the  Chaplain  to  Mr.  Watson's,  etc., 
etc.  But  some  of  the  officers  objected  to  any  such 
arrangements,  and  remained  with  the  regiment ;  their 
hatred  of  the  principles  of  secession  and  their  sterling 
independence  forbidding  their  acceptance  of  the  selfish 
courtesies.  And  so  the  mess  still  run,  but  with  dimin 
ished  numbers. 


332  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Just  here  some  extracts  from  the  last  issue  of  the 
Montgomery  Daily  Advertiser  are  inserted,  to  illustrate 
the  habit  in  the  south  of  bolstering  up  their  fainting 
hopes  by  the  most  unlikely  and  senseless  reports.  Hav 
ing  had  full  particulars  of  the  surrender  of  Lee,  which 
were  published  in  the  issue  of  April  2 1st.  an  extra 
Advertiser  of  the  24th  contains  the  following  : 

"News  from  Gen.  Lee's  army  have  been  received 
since  the  reported  capitulation.  The  whole  story  appears 
to  have  been  based  upon  the  surrender  of  Custis  Lee 
and  his  small  force.  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee  is  still  fighting 
Grant,  over  whom  he  is  reported  to  have  gained  two 
brilliant  victories. ' ' 

And  again  : 

"We  learn  from  a  gentleman  who  left  Vicksburg  on 
Tuesday" — this  was  Monday,  almost  a  week  later — 
"that  a  Federal  dispatch  boat  had  arrived  at  that  place, 
bringing  additional  information  of  the  state  of  affairs  in 
the  north,  by  which  we  learn,  although  it  was  not  gen 
erally  made  public,  that  a  great  battle  had  been  fought 
between  Johnston  and  Sherman,  in  which  Johnston  was 
victorious,  capturing  over  2O,OOO  prisoners,  besides  kill 
ing  and  wounding  a  large  number.  If  this  information 
should  prove  correct,  and  it  is  generally  believed  in 
Vicksburg,  the  condition  of  our  affairs  in  North  Caro 
lina  is  much  better  than  we  were  led  to  suppose  from 
previous  accounts." 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  333 

Editorially  the  same  issue  says : 

"The  news  from  Vicksburg  of  a  victory  gained  by 
Johnston  over  Sherman,  is  confirmed  by  the  Macon 
(Georgia)  papers.  It  was  in  consequence  of  this  defeat 
that  Sherman  proposed  the  armistice." 

And  so  they  tried  to  galvanize  life  into  the  dead  con 
federacy — to  whistle  among  the  tombs  in  their  despair. 

As  early  as  the  day  before  we  reached  Montgomery, 
rumors  had  been  heard  of  the  assassination  of  our  Presi 
dent,  but  they  had  not  been  credited.  In  the  Advertiser 
of  the  24th  we  found  a  statement  to  that  effect,  but  it 
was  alongside  those  we  have  just  given  of  Lee  and 
Johnston's  victories,  which  we  knew  were  false,  so  we 
gave  the  other  no  credit.  It  was  too  horrid  ;  too  pre 
posterous.  We  could  not  entertain  the  thought  for  a 
moment.  So  the  time  slipped  along  till  the  2pth  of 
April,  four  days  after  we  reached  Montgomery,  before 
the  sad  intelligence  was  received  through  authentic  chan 
nels,  that  our  beloved  President,  the  immortal  Lincoln, 
was  no  more — and  that  he  had  fallen  by  an  assassin's 
hand.  We  need  not  try  in  this  history  to  describe  the 
effect  of  the  tidings  upon  us,  or  upon  the  Nation.  That 
is  written  too  deeply  in  the  memories  of  all  who  shared 
in  the  grief  of  that  fearful  hour.  But  it  seemed  to  us 
that  we  had  even  greater  cause  for  grief,  if  possible,  than 
those  who  were  not  in  the  field.  We  were  now  among 
those  who  could  but  rejoice  while  we  wept,  if  they  were 
in  sympathy  with  the  rebellion.  This  was  the  legiti 
mate  result  of  their  teachings  and  acts,  from  Sum- 


334  HISTORY  OF  THE 


ter  to  the  end.  Andersonville  and  Salisbury,  and  Fort 
Pillow  had  prepared  the  southern  mind  for  this,  if 
it  needed  any  preparation  beyond  that  naturally  afforded 
by  the  barbarities  of  slavery.  And  with  this  people  all 
around  us,  at  the  first  capital  of  a  government  under 
whose  fostering  arms  such  atrocities  had  been  perpe 
trated,  far  removed  from  all  the  soothing,  sympathetic 
influences  of  our  own  homes,  was  it  to  be  wondered  at 
that  we  felt  as  though  we  too  had  been  smitten  ?  That 
in  taking  away  our  "master  from  our  heads,"  in  the 
language  of  Scripture,  they  had  nearly  taken  our  lives  ? 
We  staggered  under  the  blow.  Veterans  though  we 
had  become  in  the  years  of  strife,  we  were  palsied  now. 
All  hearts  melted.  There  was  no  soundness  under  our 
feet.  No  way  of  safety  to  look.  What  would  not  this 
people  and  their  diabolical  teachings  do  ?  And  what 
were  we  called  upon  to  do  among  them  ?  was  the  ques 
tion.  What,  in  case  they,  by  word  or  look,  expressed 
their  joy  ?  What,  any  way  ?  And  in  these  latter  ques 
tions  we  found  relief.  It  was,  at  first,  and  for  some 
time,  our  only  relief.  And  to-day  it  ought  to  be  re 
corded  as  a  wonder,  almost  a  miracle  of  moderation  and 
control,  that  under  the  circumstances  the  south  was  not 
doomed  when  Lincoln  fell.  We  were  among  them  every 
where.  They  were  entirely  in  our  power.  They  had 
proclaimed  themselves  rebels,  with  taunts  and  boastings 
in  all  circles.  They  had  justified  every  step  their  worst 
leaders  had  taken  everywhere.  They  had  spit  upon  us 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  335 

publicly  and  privately.  They  had  called  this  man  every 
thing  vile  for  four  years.  They  began  by  threatening 
his  life  on  his  way  to  Washington,  and  now  they  had 
killed  him.  Yes,  they.  It  made  no  difference  whose 
hand  struck  the  blow,  the  animus,  the  teaching,  was 
their's.  And  now  we  could  take  our  fill  of  vengeance. 
Had  they  been  in  our  place  it  would  have  been  done, 
and  they  felt  it ;  keenly  they  felt  it.  They  saw  in  Mont 
gomery  and  elsewhere  that  their  lives  hung  by  a  thread. 
That  in  keeping  with  a  world's  history,  rivers  of  blood 
should  flow.  And  their  cheeks  blanched  in  our  pres 
ence.  But  we  did  not  strike.  We  placed  our  hands 
upon  our  bleeding  hearts,  and  looking  heavenward, 
asked  God  to  give  us  grace  to  restrain  us,  though  in  the 
midst  of  people  who,  as  we  believed,  would  not  have 
left  a  man  of  us  alive  had  the  case  been  reversed,  to 
help  us  set  the  world  an  example  of  Christian  heroism 
and  forbearance,  such  as  would  find  no  parallel  in 
history.  And  to  the  eternal  credit  of  the  Union 
army  be  it  written,  that  not  one  retributive  blow  was 
struck  through  all  the  southern  States.  It  is  true  they 
hastened  everywhere  to  disavow  the  act,  and  claimed  to 
regret  it  as  deeply  as  we.  But  with  their  prints  in  our 
hands,  and  their  record  before  us,  we  could  not  but  be 
lieve  the  disavowals  were,  in  most  instances,  more  the 
result  of  a  wholesome  fear  than  of  genuine  sympathy, 
though  we  gave  them  the  benefit  of  their  asseverations. 
Whether  we  were  mistaken  in  our  conclusions,  let  the 
massacres  and  midnight  horrors  of  fourteen  years  of  a 


336  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/1-11 

reconstructed  south,  answer.  Coushatta  and  Edgefield, 
and  Kemper  county,  Mississippi,  and  other  places,  can 
best  tell  whether  the  act  of  Wilkes  Booth  was  sincerely 
condemned. 

The  Montgomery  Mail,  of  May  1st,  appeared  in 
mourning,  and  said  much  about  the  non-complicity  of 
the  rebel  government  in  the  assassination.  "Wicked 
and  wrong-headed  as  it  might  have  been,"  it  said,  "we 
cannot  belie  vre  that  the  Richmond  head  of  the  rebellion 
has  any  sympathy  with,  or  is  in  any  way  accessory  to 
this  diabolical  murder."  And  further,  it  affirmed,  "As 
for  the  unfortunate  masses  of  the  south,  who  have  been 
made  the  unwilling  instruments  of  this  rebellion,  and 
who  have  been  the  chief  sufferers  under  the  grinding 
despotism  in  which  it  resulted,  they  deplore  the  event 
quite  as  much  as  their  countrymen  of  the  north,  and 
would  rejoice  in  common  with  their  fellow-citizens  of  the 
entire  nation  in  the  apprehension  and  punishment  of  the 
assassins  and  their  accomplices." 

This  is  from  a  press  and  people  who,  a  few  years 
later,  publicly  abused  the  government  for  the  execution 
of  Mrs.  Surratt  as  an  accomplice  in  the  assassination. 
But  it  was  good  reading,  and  might  have  been  honest, 
upon  the  day  when  all  our  flags  were  at  half-mast  and 
draped  in  mourning,  and  our  funeral  guns  firing,  as  they 
were  May  1st,  according  to  the  following  orders: 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  337 

"HEADQUARTERS,  POST  OF  MONTGOMERY, 
MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,  April  3Oth,  1865. 

"General  Orders  No.    4.] 

It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  that  the  Colonel  com 
manding  publishes  the  following  announcement: 

"HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  AND  DIVISION 

OF  WEST  MISSISSIPP, 
MOBILE,  ALABAMA   April  2oth,  1865. 

"General  Field  Orders  No.  29.] 

"With  profound  sorrow  the  Major  General  command 
ing  announces  to  this  army  the  death,  by  assassination, 
of  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the  Secre 
tary  of  State. 

"Appropriate  funeral  honors  will  be  ordered  by  the 
War  Department,  but  in  testimony  of  the  deep  grief 
which  prevails  in  this  army,  the  public  offices  will  be 
closed,  the  flags  will  be  displayed  at  half-staff,  half  hour 
guns  will  be  fired  from  sunrise  until  sunset,  and  minute 
guns  from  twelve  o'clock  M.  until  one  o'clock  p.  M.,  at 
each  Post  within  the  limits  of  this  command,  on  the  day 
next  succeeding  the  receipt  of  this  order. 
"By  order  of 

"MAJOR  GENERAL  E.  R.  S.  CANBY. 
("Signed) 

"C.  T.   CHRISTENSEN, 

Lieut.  Col,  Ass't  Adj't  General. 

"Official: 

("Signed) 

"J.    HOUGH,   A.  A.  General." 


338  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


In  compliance  with  the  above  order,  and  in  testimony 
of  the  profound  grief  felt  by  the  troops  composing  the 
garrison  of  this  Post,  and  by  the  loyal  people  of  this 
place  at  the  great  National  calamity,  thus  officially  an 
nounced  all  public  offices  and  places  of  business  within 
the  limits  of  this  Post,  will  be  closed  from  sunrise  until 
sunset,  to-morrow,  May  1st,  1865. 

"By  order  of 

"CoL.  JAMES  L.   GEDDES. 
"W.  F.  HENRY, 

Capt.  and  Post  Adjutant." 

The  Montgomery  Mail,  of  May  6th,  contained  the 
following,  which  reflected  the  sentiment  of  the  army  at 
the  time  very  accurately,  and  doubtless  exerted  quite 
an  influence  in  moulding  it,  as  there  were  twenty-two 
Chaplains  present  at  the  meeting  : 

"Pursuant  to  published  notice,  the  U.  S.  Army  Chap 
lains  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  assembled  at  the  State 
House,  Wednesday,  May  3d,  1865.  A  Chaplains'  As 
sociation  was  organized,  by  the  election  of  Rev.  Joseph 
Porter,  6ist  U.  S.  Infantry,  President,  and  Rev.  F. 
Humphrey,  I2th  Iowa  Infantry,  Secretary. 

"Earnest  discussion  then  followed  on  the  state  of  re 
ligion  in  the  army,  the  condition  of  the  country,  the 
death  of  the  President,  and  the  prospects  of  peace.  A 
committee  was  appointed  to  arrange  for  holding  religious 
services  in  Montgomery,  on  Sunday  next ;  also  a  com 
mittee  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  the  feelings  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  339 

the  Chaplains,  as  ministers  of  Christ,  in  regard  to  the 
assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  The  association 
then  adjourned  to  meet  again  Thursday  afternoon,  when 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were  reported, 
and  after  very  interesting  remarks  upon  them  by  many 
Chaplains  present,  were  unanimously  adopted : 

"  Whereas,  The  spirit  of  secession  which  first  moved 
men  to  insult  our  Nation's  flag,  and  seek  to  destroy  our 
Nation's  life,  which  has  plunged  our  country  into  civil 
war  and  produced  the  untold  suffering,  devastation, 
bloodshed  and  death,  of  the  last  four  years,  has  culmin 
ated  in  the  assassination  of  our  beloved  President,  Abra 
ham  Lincoln,  mysteriously  permitted  by  Divine  Provi 
dence  ;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  By  the  Chaplains'  Association  of  the  U.S. 
army,  at  Montgomery,  Alabama ;  that  we  bow  in  sad 
ness  of  heart,  but  with  entire  submission  before  the 
inscrutable  blow,  firmly  convinced  that  God,  in  His 
wisdom  and  sovereign  mercy,  will  overrule  it  for  the 
Nation's  good. 

" Resolved,  That  in  Abraham  Lincoln  we  recognized 
one  raised  up  by  God  for  the  emergencies  of  the  times 
in  which  he  lived,  and  the  position  he  was  called  upon 
to  fill,  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  our  great  Nation,  in  the 
hour  of  its  peril,  and  in  his  conduct  of  the  affairs  of 
State,  and  discharge  of  the  responsibilities  resting  upon 
him,  he  has  commended  himself  to  our  warm  sympathy, 
generous  confidence  and  tender  regard  to  a  greater  ex 
tent  than  any  President  ever  did  before. 


340  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

" Resolved,  That  we  mourn  his  loss  as  a  man,  a  firm, 
consistent  patriot,  a  profound,  lenient,  yet  unimpeach 
able  Executive,  and  a  sincere  Christian  ;  that,  in  his 
death,  we  have  lost  a  father,  a  brother,  and  a  kind  friend  ; 
one  we  hoped  would  have  been  permitted  to  finish  the 
work  he  had  so  nobly  begun,  and  to  guide  the  Ship  of 
State  through  the  angry  tempest  of  civil  war  and  loom 
ing  breakers  of  treason  and  hate,  to  the  fair  haven  of 
fraternal  love  and  peace. 

"Resolved,  That  we  still  stand  pledged  to  his  oft  ex 
pressed  wish  'that  all  men  might  be  free,'  and  we  believe 
the  Nation's  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  principles  of  which 
he  stood  before  the  American  people  and  the  world  as 
the  exponent,  will  not  be  abated  by  the  martyrdom  of 
our  leader,  who  has  set  the  seal  of  sacrifice  to  a  life's 
devotion. 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  cordially  support  Andrew 
Johnson  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  President  of 
the  United  States,  praying  that  the  Divine  hand  may 
lead  him  as  his  predecessor  was  led,  in  the  responsible 
task  of  restoring  peace,  protecting  personal  rights,  and 
establishing  the  perpetuity  of  our  Nation,  ruling  over 
the  people  in  righteousness. 

^Resolved,  That  we  reprobate  everywhere  and  at  all 
proper  times,  not  only  the  fiendish  act  of  assassination 
itself,  but  the  spirit  of  bitter  hatred  and  malice  out  of 
which  it  grew  ;  yet,  we  urge  upon  our  Nation,  and  espe 
cially  upon  our  forces  in  the  south,  the  cultivation  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  341 

charity  and  forbearance,  and  the  promotion  of  kindly 
relations,  in  a  Christian  spirit,  in  our  intercourse  with 
all  our  enemies,  thus  mourning  truly  for  our  deceased 
President  by  practicing  his  virtues. 

"J.  H.  MOORE, 

Chaplain  p5th  111.  Infty  Vol. 
"R.  L.  HOWARD, 

Chaplain  12 4th  111.  Infty. 
"E.  M.  EDWARDS, 

Chaplain  ;th  Minn.  Infty. 

"A  resolution  was  then  passed  requesting  the  Secre 
tary  to  furnish  the  editor  of  the  Montgomery  Mail  with 
an  outline  of  the  proceedings,  and  a  copy  of  the  resolu 
tions,  with  an  invitation  to  publish  the  same. 

"Adjourned  to  meet  Monday  next,  at  the  three  P.  M., 
in  the  chamber  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

"F.    HUMPHREY,   Secretary." 


342  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Col.  Howe  comma  'ding  brigade. — Colored  children. — Mail  once 
more. — Ears  cut  off. — Dress  parade  in  state. — Women  after  mules.— 
One  woman's  opinion  of  God. — Turn  over  flag. — Its  history. — Col. 
Howe  and  his  hostess. — Dr.  Gilmer.-- July  4th  approaching. — Citi 
zens  wish  to  celebrate. — Arrangements. — Programme. — The  day 
itself,  and  the  celebration.— Disgusted. — A  second  edition. — A  little 
marrying. — Sold  horses. — New  officers. — Hot  but  healthy. — Ru 
mors. — Off  on  the  "Virginia. " — Going  heme. — Selma .—  Pokerish 
bridges. — Demopolis. — On  top  of  the  cars. — Meridian  again. — Re 
cruits  transferred. — Watermelons. — Jackson. — March  and  pay  to 
Big  Black. — Vicksburg.— Cherry  street  barracks. — Sun-stroke. 


BY  THE  ABSENCE  of  Colonel  Turner,  of  the  loSth 
Illinois,  Colonel  Howe  became  our  brigade  com 
mander,  soon  after  reaching  Montgomery,  and  Captain 
Field,  the  ranking  Captain,  assumed  command  of  the 
regiment ;  yet  both  of  these  officers  were  on  courts 
martial  and  military  commissions  most  of  the  time  we 
were  in  the  city,  leaving  the  regiment  almost  to  run 
itself.  This  it  could  do  very  easily  on  provost  duty,  and 
the  more  especially  as  every  officer  in  it  was  able  to 
command  a  battalion  if  necessary. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  343 

Our  camp,  as  has  been  stated,  was  in  close  proximity 
to  the  colored  church,  and  one  Sunday  morning,  at  the 
close  of  their  Sunday  school,  forty-three  colored  children 
came  trooping  into  it,  all  under  twelve  or  fourteen  years 
of  age.  Three  of  the  number,  two  girls  and  one  boy, 
seemed  to  be  white,  and  their  being  with  the  colored 
ones,  excited  a  little  surprise.  But  upon  approaching 
them  and  inquiring  about  it,  they  affirmed  they  were 
''little  nigs"  too.  Having  our  attention  so  forcibly 
called  to  the  subject  of  southern  ''miscegenation," 
caused  us  to  notice  them  all,  and  of  the  forty-three,  only 
three  could  by  any  possibility  be  called  black ;  all  the 
rest  had  been  more  or  less  bleached  under  the  christian 
izing  influence  of  slavery.  And  the  proportion  would 
hold  good  among  all  the  children  of  the  south.  Not 
over  seven  per  cent,  of  the  rising  generation  in  slavery 
were  of  undiluted  blood. 

On  the  /th  of  May  we  received  a  mail  once  more,  the 
first  since  leaving  Blakely.  How  anxiously  we  had 
waited  and  watched  for  it,  none  but  soldiers  know. 

Guard  mounting  and  dress  parade  had  come  to  be 
fashionable  in  the  regiment  again,  and  on  the  I4th  of 
May,  Gen.  Smith's  band  furnished  our  music,  and  Gen. 
Carr  and  Col.  Geddes  were  present.  We  felt  a  little 
like  the  old  "Excelsior"  regiment  once  more. 

The  same  day  we  had  another  illustration  of  the  beau 
ties  and  moral  elevation  of  slavery,  in  the  arrival  of  three 
colored  people,  one  man  and  two  women,  with  their 
ears  cut  off  close  to  their  heads.  One  of  the  women 


344  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

had  lost  a  part  of  her  scalp,  too,  as  well  as  her  ears,  and 
had  a  part  of  her  face  skinned.  It  was  reported  as  done 
at  a  place  about  forty  miles  distant,  toward  Georgia, 
called  Society  Hill,  and  seemed  to  be  a  purely  fiendish 
act,  without  provocation  or  cause.  The  man  who  did  it 
was  not  their  master,  overseer,  or  any  official,  military 
or  civil.  He  simply  did  it,  as  was  stated,  because  he 
wanted  to,  and  then  said,  "Go  and  tell  the  Yankees 
did  it."  A  more  brutal  thing  we  never  saw.  And  yet 
it  was  "off  the  same  piece."  Wirtz,  Forrest,  Chalmers, 
Wilkes  Booth,  Dr.  Blackburn,  Jefferson  Davis,  and  the 
hero  of  Society  Hill,  had  one  common  parentage,  and 
each  in  his  way  presented  the  legitimate  fruit  of  the 
southern  institution. 

For  several  weeks  the  regiment  moved  on  in  the 
nearly  even  tenor  of  its  way.  Sometimes  we  would 
have  battalion  drill  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  its  dress  pa 
rades  were  always  attended  by  crowds  of  spectators, 
miiitary  and  civil,  being  the  most  imposing  in  the  city. 
We  also  had  frequent  speaking,  and  singing  by  the  glee 
club,  at  regimental  headquarters.  Meanwhile  the  coun 
try  moved  steadily  towards  peace,  and  all  the  troops 
save  our  division,  left  for  parts  unknown.  We  began 
to  be  anxious  for  our  time  to  come,  and  talked  about  it 
more  than  about  anything  or  all  things  else.  Chaplain 
Howard,  who  was  dispatched  to  New  Orleans  on  busi 
ness  for  the  officers,  in  anticipation  of  our  muster-out, 
and  left  by  rail  on  the  evening  of  the  ipth  of  May,  had 
a  little  peculiar  experience,  which  we  narrate  here : 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  345 


Tne  train  was  loaded  for  the  most  part  with  rebel  sol 
diers  from  Lee  and  Johnston's  armies,  who  had  been 
thronging  the  city  for  several  days,  and  were  being- 
passed  home  as  rapidly  as  possible,  'I  here  were  on 
board  also  a  half  dozen  ladies  from  Greenville  and  below, 
who  had  been  to  Montgomery  for  the  purpose  of  getting 
mules,  if  possible,  from  the  Quartermaster's  department, 
to  aid,  as  they  said,  in  raising  a  crop.  The  department 
had  been  very  kind,  and  upon  proof  of  loyalty,  had 
given  animals  to  a  great  many  for  that  purpose.  But 
these,  for  some  reason,  had  failed,  and  as  a  consequence 
were  not  in  a  very  amiable  frame  of  mind.  Excepting 
two  Union  soldiers  in  each  car  as  a  guard,  the  Chaplain 
was  the  only  Union  man  known  to  be  on  board,  and 
being  recognized  by  his  dress,  the  ladies  soon  commen 
ced  upon  him  concerning  the  way  they  had  been  rebuff 
ed  at  Montgomery.  The  Chaplain  mildly  observed  that 
it  was  no  fault  of  his,  but  the  ladies  became  more  and 
more  persistent  and  insolent  in  their  remarks,  feeling 
secure  in  their  surroundings,  till  at  last  he  told  them  that 
he  did  not  wish  to  hold  any  conversation  with  them 
upon  the  subject.  That  it  was  of  no  use.  It  could  not 
prove  beneficial  to  them  or  him,  and  if  they  pleased  he 
would  greatly  prefer  not  to  talk  with  them  at  all,  as  they 
could  not  agree.  The  cars  were  so  crowded  that  he  had 
no  alternative  but  to  stay  where  he  was  or  go  without  a 
seat,  as  there  were  scores  standing  up.  This  appeal 
silenced  all  the  ladies  but  one,  who  persisted  in  the  at- 
tack,  notwithstanding  one  of  her  number  begged  of  her 


546  HISTORY  OF  THE 


to  desist.  Such  words  as  "mean,  cruel,  contemptible, 
cowardly,  craven,  mercenary,  white-livered,  rotten- 
hearted,"  with  a  good  many  others  of  the  same  kind, 
fell  from  her  lips  quite  freely,  without  a  word  of  reply 
or  provocation.  At  last  the  Chaplain  appealed  to  her 
sense  of  right  and  wrong,  and  to  her  common  delicacy 
as  a  woman,  asking  her  of  what  use  it  could  be  to  use 
such  terms  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  was  no  more 
responsible  for  the  war  and  the  state  of  things  than  she 
was,  and  could  help  them  no  more  than  she  could. 
After  they  had  appealed  to  war  they  must  abide  the  re 
sult.  God  had  decided  against  them,  and  there  was  no 
help  for  it. 

At  that  she  quickly  responded,  "Do  you  believe  God 
had  anything  to  do  with  the  result  of  this  war  ?" 

The  Chaplain  replied,  "Certainly.  Do  you  think  so 
many  thousands  can  be  marshaled,  and  the  earth  shake 
beneath  their  tread,  so  many  lives  can  be  taken,  such 
rivers  of  blood  and  tears  flow,  and  so  many  graves  be 
dug,  and  He  who  takes  note  even  of  the  sparrow's  fall, 
have  nothing  to  do  with  it  ?  Yes,  madam,  the  God  of 
battles  has  decided  this  strife,  and  has  done  it  in  the  in 
terest  of  the  north  and  liberty,  and  the  south  must  sub 
mit. " 

At  that  she  rose  from  her  seat,  and  gesticulating 
wildly,  with  every  nerve  quivering  from  intense  excite 
ment,  she  almost  shrieked  out,  "I  don't  believe  God 
had  a  thing  to  do  with  this  war,  sir,  not  a  thing.  And 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  347 


if  he  did,  I  don't  want  anything  more  to  do  with   him, 
for  he  isn't  the  man  I  took  him  to  be." 

On  the  loth  of  May  our  old,  battle-scarred  flag  was 
inspected  by  Captain  Scott,  A.  A.  I.  General,  3d  Di 
vision,  i6th  Army  Corps,  by  order  of  Maj.  Gen.  A.  J. 
Smith,  and  ordered  to\be  dropped  from  our  returns, 
and  deposited  at  the  capital  of  Illinois.  The  follow 
ing  is  its  war  history,  deposited  wtth  it  at  Springfield  : 

"HEADQUARTERS  124™  REG.  ILL.  INF'TY, 
MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,  May  loth,  1865. 

''These  colors  were  borne  by  the  I24th  regiment 
on  the  march  of  Gen.  Grant's  grand  army  from  La- 
grange,  Tennessee,  to  the  Yacona,  Mississippi,  and 
return  to  Lagrange,  Tenn.,  in  December,  1862. 

"Also  from  Lagrange  tp  Memphis,  Tenn.,  in  Jan 
uary,  1863;  from  Memphis  to  Lake  Providence.  La., 
in  February,  1863,  and  from  thence  via.  Milliken's 
Bend  and  Bruinsburg  to  Port  Gibson,  Miss.,  in  April, 
1863. 

"They  were  carried  in  and  through  the  following 
engagements:  PORT  GIBSON,  May  1st,  1863  ;  RAYMOND, 
May  1 2th,  1863  ;  JACKSON,  May  I4th,  1863  ;  CHAM 
PION  HILLS,  May  i6th,  1863  J  Siege  of  VICKSBURG, 
including  the  assault  on  the  enemy's  works  May  22d, 
and  FORT  HILL,  June  26th,  1863. 

"They  were  also  borne  on  the  Monroe,  La.,  and 
Brownsville,  Miss.,  campaigns,  in  August  and  October, 
1863,  and  in  the  great  Meridian  expedition,  under 
Gen.  Sherman,  in  February,  1864. 


348  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 

1  'They  were  also  carried  by  the  regiment  on  the  oc 
casion  of  the  Champion  Drill  of  the  3d  (Logan's)  Di 
vision,  I /th  Army  Corps,  when  the  12/j.th  regiment 
won  the  Prize  Banner,  which  was  presented  to  it  by 
Maj.  Gen.  McPherson,  January  23d,  1864,  as  the  EX~ 
celsior  Regiment  of  the  3d  Division.  I7th  Army  Corps. 

"During  all  this  period  the  regiment  constituted  a 
portion  of  the  3d  (Logan's)  Division,  i/th  Army  Corps. 

"These  colors  were  also  borne  by  the  regiment  in 
the  campaign  against  Yazoo  City,  and  in  the  battle  of 
BENTON,  Miss.,  in  May,  1864,  under  Gen.  McArthur. 

"Also  in  the  Jackson,  Mississippi,  campaign,  and  in 
the  battle  at  JACKSON  CROSS  ROADS,  in  July,  1864,  under 
Gen.  Slocum,  and  in  the  White  river  and  Memphis  ex 
pedition  in  October,  1864. 

"They  were  also  borne  by  the  regiment  (though  too 
much  torn  and  shattered  for  actual  use)  in  the  great 
campaign  against  Mobile  and  Montgomery,  Alabama, 
in  March  and  April,  1865,  under  Gen.  Canby,  including 
the  siege  of  SPANISH  FORT,  and  the  storming  and  capture 
of  the  enemy's  works,  April  8th,  1865,  by  the  3d  Bri 
gade,  3d  Division,  i6th  Army  Corps,  of  which  the 
1 24th  regiment  was  a  part. 

"During  the  period  including  the  foregoing  opera 
tions,  the  regiment  marched,  by  land  and  water,  over 
4, 100  miles,  and  was  engaged  in  fourteen  skirmishes. 
ten  battles,  and  two  sieges,  of  forty-seven  days  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  349 

nights,  and  thirteen  days  and  nights,  respectively,  thus 
being  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy  eighty-two  days  and 
sixty  nights. 

"J.  H.  HOWE, 
Col.   by  Brevet,    Commanding  Regiment." 

As  illustrating  the  temper  of  Montgomery  society, 
and  its  continual  argument  against  the  principles  of  the 
northern  people,  the  following  story  is  told,  and  it  also 
presents  the  hollowness  of  southern  pretension  : 

Col.  Howe's  hostess,  who  by  the  way  was  very  much 
of  a  lady  after  the  fashion  of  the  south,  lost  no  oppor 
tunity  for  rallying  him  upon  what  she  was  pleased  to 
term  negro  equality,  as  believed  in  by  all  who  favored 
the  emancipation  of  the  slaves.  Having  been  on  the 
street  one  day  she  came  home  in  great  glee,  and  with 
the  air  of  one  who  is  certain  of  a  crushing  triumph,  com 
menced  upon  the  favorite  subject  in  this  wise  : 

"Now,  Colonel,  you  may  deny  it  as  much  as  you 
please,  but  it  is  just  as  I  tell  you.  The  northerners  all 
mean  negro  equality,  and  they'll  practice  it  too.  Even 
your  officers  will  practice  it  right  before  our  eyes,  in 
broad  daylight.  What  do  you  think  I  saw  to-day  on  a 
street  corner,  as  bold  and  shameless  as  could  be  ?  I'll 
tell  you.  I  saw  a  Lieutenant,  yes,  a  Lieutenant,  with 
his  shoulder-straps  on — I  don't  know  what  regiment  he 
belonged  to,  but  he  was  a  Union  Lieutenant — hobnob 
bing  with  a  colored  girl.  Yes,  actually  flirting  with  her, 
Colonel,  as  well  pleased  and  interested  as  though  she'd 


350  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

been  white.  Now,  you  needn't  tell  me  you  don't  be 
lieve  in  negro  equality  and  mixing  up  with  the  colored 
people.  You  do  believe  in  it.  What  I  see  with  my 
own  eyes  is  proof  positive.  I  must  accept  it,  and  it  is 
just  as  I  thought  it  was." 

The  Colonel  calmly  replied  that  he  was  sorry  the  Lieu 
tenant  had  done  such  a  thing,  and  that  it  was  in  very  poor 
taste  for  him  to  flirt  with  a  black  girl,  though  that  proved 
nothing  as  to  the  sentiments  of  the  northern  people. 
He  thought  there  were  not  many  even  of  our  unmarried 
soldiers,  so  far  from  home  and  all  society,  who  would 
care  to  flirt  with  negroes. 

"She  was  not  a  negro,"  said  the  lady,  quickly,  "she 
was  a  bright  yellow  girl,  and  they  were  enjoying  it  im 
mensely." 

"Ah!"  said  the  Colonel,  "that  changes  the  case 
quite  materially.  She  was  part  white,  was  she  ?" 

"O,  yes.  She  was  real  bright  and  pretty.  She  was 
above  the  average  of  colored  girls,  considerably  above, 
and  well  dressed.  But  then  she  was  colored  for  all  that. 
Now,  what  do  you  think  of  such  things  ?" 

"And  you  are  sure  they  were  flirting?"  asked  the 
Colonel. 

"Certainly,"  said  she.  "There  could  be  no  mistake 
about  that." 

"And    they    both    seemed    to  enjoy    it?"    he   asked 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  351 

"O,  yes.  She  was  as  pleased  as  could  be.  I  know 
them  well.  I  understand  them.  They  can't  deceive 
me.  And  the  Lieutenant  was  the  picture  of  happiness. " 

''And  you  say  she  was  real  pretty?"  inquired  the 
Colonel,  once  more,  "of  fine  features,  and  quite  light 
complexion  ?" 

"Yes,  she  was  very  fair  and  engaging.  Now,  Colonel, 
if  you  had  seen  it  as  I  did,  what  would  you  have  said  ? 
Wouldn't  you  have  called  it  negro  equality  ?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  he  replied,  slowly.  "I  proba 
bly  should  have  wondered  how  in  the  name  of  God  she 
came  to  be  so  white." 

Poor,  annihilated  woman.  The  bleaching  process  of 
the  south  was  never  presented  to  her  in  quite  that  light 
before.  The  Colonel  used  to  relate  this  conversation 
with  great  satisfaction,  and  it  was  most  richly  enjoyed 
by  us  all  at  the  time. 

A  case  showing  the  peculiar  beauties  of  slavery  from 
another  point  of  view,  occurred  about  this  time.  Resi 
ding  in  the  suburbs  of  Montgomery  was  one  Dr.  Gil- 
mer,  who  owned  quite  a  good  farm  and  a  few  hands, 
before  the  amancipation  act  freed  them,  and  managed, 
with  a  little  practice  as  a  physician,  to  maintain  some 
considerable  state  up  to  the  time  of  our  arrival  ;  and  at 
that  time,  whether  from  fear,  uncertainty,  or  what,  his 
colored  people  were  all  with  him,  including  an  old  wo 
man  upwards  of  ninety  years  of  age,  as  he  himself 
admitted.  She  was  very  feeble,  being  scarcely  able  to 
drag  herself  about,  and  could  gain  no  strength  from  her 


352  HISTORY  OF  THE 


food,  which,  owing  to  its  coarse  character,  she  could  not 
chew.  This  woman  the  doctor  set  to  hoeing  beans,  and 
upon  visiting  her  in  the  field  some  time  after,  found  she 
had  accomplished  but  little.  So  he  jerked  her  hoe  from 
her  in  his  rage,  and  knocked  her  down  with  it,  striking 
her  two  or  three  blows  after  she  fell.  The  act  being 
reported  to  Col.  Howe,  he  sent  for  him,  and  inquired 
about  it,  expecting,  of  course,  if  it  was  not  all  a  mis 
take,  that  the  doctor  would  plead  excitement,  or  having 
struck  a  harder  blow  than  he  intended.  But  to  the 
Colonel's  utter  astonishment  he  not  only  confessed  all  he 
was  charged  with,  but  stoutly  maintained  that  he  had  a 
right  to  knock  her  down,  lazy  old  slut  that  she  was. 
She  was  his,  and  it  was  nobody's  business  what  he  did 
with  her.  If  he  had  killed  her  it  would  have  been  bet 
ter  for  her,  as  she  was  old  enough  to  die  ;  and  it  would 
have  been  better  for  him,  for  she  could  not  do  enough 

o 

to  pay^  for  her  living  any  more,  and  consequently  it 
could  not  be  expected  of  him  that  he  should  maintain 
her.  The  work  must  be  pounded  out  of  her,  or  she 
must  be  pounded  to  death,  was  the  sum  of  his  state 
ment. 

The  bitter  invective  and  scorn,  mingled  with  noble, 
liberty-loving  and  humanitarian  sentiments  that  poured 
from  the  Colonel's  lips  at  the  doctor's  heathen  avowal, 
were  enough  to  overwhelm  any  one  less  stolid  than  he. 
But  he  sat  and  heard  it  apparently  unmoved,  while  all 
that  stood  by  fairly  writhed  for  him  under  the  weight  of 
the  infliction,  though  scorning  him  from  the  depths  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  353 

their  hearts.  It  was  a  scene  long  to  be  remembered, 
though  possibly  it  did  no  good  save  to  deepen  our  con 
victions  of  the  horrors  and  brutalizing  effects  of  slavery, 
the  corner  stone  of  the  southern  idea  and  civilization. 

The  approaching  4th  of  July  we  took  but  little  note 
of,  after  it  became  evident  that  we  must  spend  it  in 
Montgomery.  It  could  not  bring  us  much  beyond  what 
we  might  have  any  day.  if  we  desired  it,  namely,  a  little 
speaking  and  singing  in  camp.  Had  we  been  at  home 
with  our  loved  ones  it  would  have  been  different.  The 
presence  of  wives  and  sweethearts  is  always  necessary, 
even  to  a  respectable  endeavor  to  celebrate,  unless  it  be 
such  a  celebration  as  ours  of  1863. 

But  some  of  the  citizens  of  Montgomery,  for  reasons 
best  known  to  themselves,  began  to  talk  about  having  a 
real,  old-fashioned  time — one  that  should  mean  some 
thing,  as  the  4th  used  to  be  before  slavery  wiped  it  out. 
This  may  need  a  little  explanation.  Since  secession, 
not  only  had  the  4th  of  July  been  like  any  other  day 
in  Dixie,  but  for  long  years  it  had  existed  only  in  name 
as  a  holiday.  It  could  not  be  explained  to  the  slave — 
its  language  was  one  he  could  not  bear.  And  so  the 
firing  of  guns  and  burning  of  fire-crackers  in  the  south 
had  ceased  on  the  4th,  and  come  to  be  done  only  at 
Christmas.  That  could  be  satisfactorily  explained  to 
the  intelligent  chattel,  and  not  unsettle  him  with  the 
absurdities  of  Independence  Day.  And  it  was  infinitely 
better  to  burn  powder  in  the  face  of  the  babe  in  the 
manger,  than  to  talk  of  liberty  to  a  northern  slave. 


354  HISTORY  OF  THE 


We  hailed  the  desire  of  the  few  citizens  to  celebrate 
the  day  according  to  its  old  traditions,  as  an  indication 
of  returning  sense,  which  it  was  for  the  interest  of  all  to 
cultivate,  and  so  the  military  met  a  little  squad  of  them 
at  Post  Headquarters,  to  choose  a  committee  of  arrange 
ments  and  put  the  matter  in  as  good  shape  as  possible, 
the  1 24th  being  represented  by  Maj.  Field.  General 
orders  had  previously  been  issued  by  Army  Corps  and 
Post  commanders,  as  follows,  and  the  programme  in  full 
appeared  with  them  in  the  Daily  Mail,  so  that  all  Mont 
gomery  was  fully  apprised  of  what  was  to  be  done. 

"HEADQUARTERS,  i6i'H  ARMY  CORPS, 
MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,  June  28,  1865. 

''General  Orders  No.  21.] 

"Upon  Tuesday,  the  4th  day  of  July  next,  the  Anni 
versary  of  the- Independence  of  the  United  States,  a 
Federal  salute  of  thirteen  guns  will  be  fired  at  sunrise, 
and  a  National  salute  at  meridian,  at  each  military  post 
and  camp  of  this  command  provided  with  artillery  and 
ammunition. 

"Division  commanders  will  issue  the  necessary  orders 
for  the  proper  parades  and  celebrations,  within  their 
respective  commands. 

"By  order  of  MAJ.  GEN.  A.  J.  SMITH. 

J.    HOUGH, 

Lieut.  Col.  and  Ass't  Adj't  Gen. 
'Official : 

JAS.  B.  COMSTOCK, 

Capt.  and  Ass't  A.  G." 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  355 

4 'HEADQUARTERS,  POST  OF  MONTGOMERY, 

MONTGOMERY,  ALA.,  June  30,  1865. 

''General  Orders  No.    1 1.] 

I.  Incompliance  with  General  Orders  No.  19,  Head 
quarters  3d  Division,   i6th  Army  Corps,  current  series, 
the  approaching  Anniversary  of  our  National  Independ 
ence  will   be  observed   by  the   troops  of  this  command 
with  appropriate  ceremonies   on  Tuesday,    the   Fourth 
day  of  July  next. 

II.  A  Federal  salute  will  be  fired  at  sunrise,  and  a 
National  salute  at  12  o'clock  M. 

III.  The  several  military  organizations  of  this  com 
mand  will  report  promptly  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  ,  at  these 
headquarters,  to  Brevet  Col.  J.  H.  Howe,  I24th  Illinois 
Infantry   Volunteers,  who   will  be  in  command  of  the 
troops  during  the  ceremonies. 

IV.  A   procession  will   be  formed  at  eight  o'clock 
A.  M.  ,  consisting   of  the  military,  city  authorities,  civic 
organizations,  and   citizens,  under  the  directions  of  the 
Officer  of  the  Day  and  Marshal  of  the  Day,  and  proceed 
to  the  grove  to  join  in  other  ceremonies  appropriate  to 
the  occasion. 

V.  All  drinking  saloons  or  places  for  the  sale  of  in 
toxicating  liquors  will  be  kept  closed  during  the  entire 
day,  and   no   spirituous  or  intoxicating  liquors  will  be 
sold  or  given  away  ;  and  all  public  places  of  business, 
except  eating  houses,  will  be  closed  from  eight  o'clock 
A.  M.,   until  four  o'clock  p.  M. 


356  HISTORY  OK  TMK   124TH 

VI.  All  loyal  citizens  are  invited  to  join  and  take 
part  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  occasion,  and  it  is  believed 
that  the  present  is  a  most  auspicious  time  for  American 
citizens  to  testify  their  appreciation  of  the  government 
under  which  we  live. 

"By  order  of       COL.    CHARLES  TURNER. 
W.  F.  HENRY, 

Capt.   and  Post  Adjutant. 

FOURTH  OF  JULY. 


GRAND  CELEB R A  TION  IN  MONTGOMER  Y. 


The  committee  of  arrangements  have  decided  upon 
the  following  programme  of  ceremonies  for  the  celebra 
tion  of  the  Anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  American 
Independence,  in  Montgomery,  on  Tuesday  next,  July 

4th,   1865  : 

PROGRAMME: 


ORDER  OF  PROCESSION. 


Marshal  of  the  Day,  H.  P.  Watson, 

Officer  of  the  Day,  Maj.  L.  W.  Clark,   io8th  Regiment 

Illinois  Infantry, 

Music, 

MAJ.  GEN.  A.  J.  SMITH  and  staff, 
BREV.  MAJ.  GEN.  E.  A.  CARR  and  staff, 

Post  Commandant  and  staff, 
Brigade  Commander  and  staff, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  357 


Troops  of  Third  Brigade, 

Artillery, 

Troops  of  other  commands  who   may  wish  to  join  the 
procession, 

Music, 
Mayor  and  City  Council  of  Montgomery, 

Masonic  Fraternity, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 

City  Fire  Department, 
Committee  of  Arrangements, 

Citizens  on  foot, 
Citizens  in  carriages  and  on  horseback. 

ORDER    OF    MOVEMENT. 

The  procession  will  be  formed  on  Commerce  street, 
the  right  resting  on  the  Artesian  Basin,  and  extending 
towards  the  river,  and  will  be  put  in  motion  under  the 
direction  of  the  Officer  of  the  Day  and  Marshal  of  the 
Day,  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  ,  moving  up  Market  street, 
to  the  Capitol,  and  down  Bainbridge  to  Madison  ;  thence 
to  Perry  street,  and  up  Perry  to  South  ;  thence  to  Court 
street,  and  down  Court  to  Roberts'  grove,  where  the 
following  programme  of  ceremonies  will  be  observed  : 

Prayer  by  REV.    DR.    PETRIE, 

Music  by  the  Singing  Choir, 

Reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  by  Chap 
lain  HOWARD,  I24th  Illinois  Volunteers, 

Music — National  Air,  by  Band, 
Oration  of  the  Day — HON.  MILTON  J.  SAFFOLD, 
Music  by  Band. 


258  HISTORY  OF  THE 


COMMITTEE    OF    ARRANGEMENTS. 

Lieut.  Col.  W.  R.  LACKLAND, 

io8th  Reg.  111.  Inf'ty  Vol. 

Maj.  WM.    STUBBS, 

8th  Reg.  Iowa  Inf  ty  Vol. 

Maj.  J.  P.    COWEN, 

8  ist  Reg.  111.  Infty  Vol. 

Col.  J.  J.  SEIBELS, 

Col.  ED.  HARRISON, 

JOEL  WHITE, 

E.  H.  METCALF, 

F.  M.  GILMER. 
JULY  i,  1865. 

By  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  arrangements  were 
complete,  an-d  sufficient  notice  given  to  ensure  a  full  and 
hearty  co-operation  from  every  quarter.  Five  of  the 
eight  members  of  the  committee  were  citizens,  and  as 
sumed  to  speak  for  Montgomery  with  authority.  Col. 
Seibels,  who  had  been  a  foreign  minister  somewhere,  at 
some  time,  was  very  sanguine  as  to  the  result,  and  had 
three  citizens  put  on  the  programme,  to  two  from  the 
army,  in  order  to  placate  and  harmonize  them,  and  also 
to  convince  us  that  they  were  heartily  in  sympathy  with 
the  effort  ;  or  rather,  three  out  of  four  were  citizens,  for 
the  Officer  of  the  Day  was  a  daily  appointment,  and  he 
had  no  authority  whatever  in  the  procession,  that  he  or 
any  other  officer  did  not  possess  before.  So  it  was 
Marshal  Watson,  Chaplain  Petrie  and  Orator  Saffold, 
from  the  one  side,  and  Reader  Howard  from  the  other. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  359 

But  this  we  cared  nothing  about  at  the  time.  We  were 
only  anxious  for  success,  and  if  Col.  Seibels,  or  any  one 
else  in  Montgomery,  could  lead  off  to  advantage,  and 
largely  aid  in  the  formation  of  union  sentiment,  we  were 
all  heartily  glad  of  it,  even  if  thereby  he  could  become 
Military  Governor  of  an  unreconstructed  State,  which 
seemed  to  be  his  object.  So  we  awaited  the  day  with 
deep  interest,  though  not  without  many  misgivings 
among  the  more  observing.  Of  course  there  would  be 
no  failure  on  our  part. 

The  4th  dawned  clear  and  hot,  bidding  fair  tor  a  swelt 
ering,  if  nothing  more.  The  Federal  salutes  were  fired 
at  Post  headquarters,  and  in  the  contiguous  camps,  and 
the  drums  beat  as  usual.  But  not  a  sound  else  disturbed 
the  stillness.  In  fact  unusual  quiet  reigned.  Not  a 
hack  or  dray  was  on  the  streets — not  a  vehicle  of  any 
kind.  It  was  a  holiday,  therefore  no  work  was  being 
done,  and  the  places  of  business  were  all  closed.  Soldiers, 
officers  and  colored  people  could  be  met  on  the  streets, 
but  no  white  citizens.  Even  the  small  boy  was  wanting. 
Up  to  the  beating  of  ''fall  in,"  nothing  like  it  for  still 
ness  and  desertion  had  been  experienced  by  us  in  the 
city.  Everybody  seemed  to  be  gone  from  home.  Not 
a  piece  of  bunting  was  displayed  anywhere  except  where 
our  bands  had  raised  it.  It  made  us  think  of  a  funeral; 
it  was  far  less  lively  than  May  1st,  which  was  sacred  to 
the  memory  of  our  martyred  President.  There  was  no 
note  or  sign  of  preparation  anywhere.  Nobody  com 
ing  into  the  city  from  the  suburbs  or  country. 


360  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

At  last  the  regiments  formed  and  moved  to  their  sta 
tions.  Buttoned  up  to  their  throats  in  their  sweltering 
uniforms,  they  took  their  places  in  comparative  silence. 
There  was  no  outside  inspiration  attending  a  step  of 
their  movements.  Soon  the  Major  Generals  with  their 
staffs  appeared,  our  Brigade  and  Post  commanders  were 
in  their  places,  and  the  line  was  formed  according  to  the 
programme.  Marshal  Watson,  of  the  now  union  city  of 
Montgomery,  Alabama,  being  in  full  command.  Right 
bravely  did  he  flourish  his  baton  over  the  distinguished 
officers  and  brave  men,  the  veterans  of  a  four  years' 
war,  made  necessary,  in  part,  by  the  action  of  this  same 
recusant  city.  He,  by  courtesy,  for  Montgomery's  dear 
sake,  was  our  Generalissimo. 

But  where  was  Montgomery  ?  Where  was  the  Civic 
portion  of  the  grand  procession  ?  Here  were  the  mili 
tary  in  full,  four  splendid  regiments,  with  Army  Corps, 
Division,  Brigade  and  Post  commanders  and  staffs,  all 
under  a  civilian,  and  untitled,  and  hitherto  unknown 
man  to  us,  and  one  certainly  of  questionable  antecedents 
with  respect  to  loyalty.  So  much  we  could  see.  But 
where  those  whose  presence  alone  should  entitle  him  to 
the  honor  of  marshaling  us  ?  We  certainly  did  not  need 
him  for  simple  purposes  of  command.  The  Generals 
who  had  led  us  through  the  fire  and  carnage  of  battle 
were  surely  able  to  lead  us  through  the  streets  of  a  city 
in  time  of  peace. 

So  we  looked  back  on  the  line  for  the  Mayor  and  City 
Council,  but  in  vain  ;  for  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  361 


the  Odd- Fellows,  but  they  were  not  there.  Then  we 
looked  forthe  Fire  Department,  the  Committee  of  Ar 
rangements,  and  the  citizens  on  foot,  in  carriages,  and 
on  horseback,  and  this  is  what  we  saw,  one  colored  hose 
company  was  in  line,  led  by  Foreman  No.  3,  who  was 
a  white  man,  Foreman  No.  I  refused  to  appear,  and 
Foreman  No.  2  had  sworn  he  would  not,  but  this  one 
white  man  had  nobly  responded  to  the  demand  of  his 
colored  company,  and  appeared  at  its  head,  trumpet  in 
hand,  thus  making  it  possible  for  it  to  express  its  loyalty 
on  Independence  Day,  as  it  could  not  do,  according  to 
State  laws,  without  a  white  foreman.  One  carriage 
brought  up  the  rear,  containing  the  Orator  of  the  Day, 
Col.  Seibels.  and  possibly  one  or  two  other  gentlemen 
of  the  Committee  of  Arrangements.  A  beautiful  page 
ant,  truly,  in  Division  No.  2,  of  the  grand  procession  ; 
a  colored  hose  company,  and  one  carriage  ;  a  hundred 
black  men,  and  four  or  five  white  ones.  This  was  Mont 
gomery  on  the  glorious  4th  of  July,  in  an  old  fashioned 
celebration  ;  and  the  exhibit  was  a  representative  one. 
What  was  manifest  in  the  line  was  true  of  the  city. 

Every  house  was  shut,  doors,  blinds  and  all,  as  we 
marched  through  the  streets.  Not  a  casement  was 
open.  Not  a  white  female  face  was  seen.  Not  a  hand 
kerchief  fluttered.  Up  Market  street  to  the  Capitol, 
down  Bainbridge,  and  through  Madison,  Perry,  South 
and  Court,  we  moved,  with  our  bands  playing  and  ban 
ners  waving,  a  military  pageant,  composed  as  it  was  of 
a  Nation's  heroes,  that  would  have  profoundly  stirred 


362  HISTORY  OF  THE  12 


any  northern  city,  and  brought  its  citizens  by  tens  of  thou 
sands  to  the  balconies  and  streets,  with  bunting  and  cam 
bric,  and  bouquets  and  smiles  ;  and  not  even  a  look  of 
sympathy  and  greeting  met  us  anywhere.  It  seemed 
like  a  great  funeral  with  the  dead  in  every  house,  or 
what  was  perhaps  worse,  a  march  through  the  grave 
yard  of  our  Nation's  hopes.  We  felt  insulted.  The 
only  bright  thing  in  sight,  besides  the  burning  sun  above 
us,  was  in  the  dusky  faces  of  the  members  of  that  hose 
company.  In  them  we  saw  our  only  friends,  and  the 
Nation's  only  southern  defenders.  Many  later  steps  in 
reconstruction  have  doubtless  been  taken  under  the  in 
spiration  of  such  experiences  as  ours  of  that  day.  And 
better  would  it  have  been  for  us  now,  if  we  had  the 
white  man  less,  and  the  colored  man  more. 

But  the  rest  of  the  story  is  to  be  told.  Roberts'  grove 
was  reached  at  last.  Our  campaign  under  Marshal 
Watson  was  so  far  a  success.  The  military  was  properly 
arranged  near  the  stand.  There  was  no  trouble  about 
that,  as  there  was  no  crowd.  Col.  Seibels  and  Judge 
Saffold  alighted  from  their  lonely  carriage  and  took  their 
places,  and  all  was  ready  to  commence,  when  it  was  dis 
covered  that  Dr.  Petrie,  the  citizen  Chaplain,  was  not 
present.  He  had  thought  too  much  of  himself  and  of 
the  south,  to  disgrace  either  by  an  appearance.  He 
was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  day.  He  was  behind  the 
barred  casements  at  home,  mourning  over  the  corpse  of 
the  confederacy:  And  so  there  was  counseling  to  be 
done  among  the  chieftains  of  the  occasion.  Watson 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  363 


and  Seibels,  and  Saffold  put  their  heads  together.  Chap 
lains  were  present.  Gere  and  Garner  were  there  in  their 
uniforms,  as  well  as  Howard,  and  they  could  not  fail  to 
be  recognized.  But,  no.  It  would  never  do  to  call  on 
one  of  them.  There  was  no  telling  what  a  northern 
man  would  pray  for,  if  once  be  started.  He  might  pray 
for  the  confederacy,  and  that  would  be  an  outrage  upon 
their  feelings.  And  then  it  would  certainly  look  badly 
if  Montgomery  didn't  do  pretty  much  all  of  it,  since 
they  had  started  out  on  that  line,  especially  all  there  was 
any  honor  in  doing.  At  least  that  was  about  the  way 
their  talk  sounded  to  us  who  did  not  hear  it,  but  were 
quietly  awaiting  its  long  deferred  termination.  But  a 
very  satisfactory  way  out  of  the  dilemma  presented 
itself.  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson,  pastor  of  a  Protestant  Metho 
dist  church  in  Montgomery,  was  espied,  sitting  under 
a  tree  near  by,  and  invited  to  come  on  to  the  stand  and 
pray,  which  he  did.  And  why  should  he  not  ?  He 
had  nothing  at  stake  to  hinder,  like  Dr.  Petrie.  The 
Protestant  Methodist  church  was  the  Benjamin  of  the 
southern  Israel,  unlike  the  influential,  Presbyterian 
church  of  the  Rev.  Doctor,  and  the  particular,  Protes 
tant  Methodist  church  of  Montgomery,  was  one  of  the 
smallest  in  Benjamin.  Nobody  of  any  consequence  be 
longed  to  it,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Johnson  himself  was  far  from 
being  a  Saul.  He  was  not  a  head  and  shoulders  taller 
than  his  brethren  by  any  means,  so  he  had  nothing  to 
lose  personally,  and  could  pray  at  a  fourth  of  July  cele 
bration,  with  union  soldiers  present,  without  essential 


364  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

damage.  In  fact,  it  was  more  than  suspected,  as  he  sat 
alone  so  strangely  and  conveniently,  that  he  had  been 
invited  to  be  there  for  that  very  purpose  by  those  who 
professed  to  be  greatly  surprised  at  the  absence  of 
Dr.  Petrie. 

At  the  close  of  the  very  short  and  common-place 
prayer,  the  "Singing  Choir"  was  found  to  be  absent 
also,  which  was  platform  failure  No.  2.  No  apology 
was  offered  for  it  by  the  distinguished  citizens  who  had 
it  in  charge.  The  band  was  invited  to  play,  which  it 
did,  and  we  of  the  Glee  Club  could  not  but  nod  at  each 
other,  as  we  thought  of  the  music  that  might  have  been 
furnished,  had  we  been  invited  to  sing. 

Chaplain  Howard  then  read  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence  with  a  full,  clear  voice,  and,  led  to  do  so  by 
the  painful  features  of  the  celebration  thus  far,  gave 
marked  expression  to  those  portions  of  it  which  a  liberty- 
loving  man  is  glad  to  hear.  The  colored  hose  company 
seemed  to  enjoy  it  greatly.  Probably  it  was  new  to  the 
most  of  them. 

A  National  air  by  the  band  was  then  given,  followed 
by  the  oration,  by  his  honor,  Judge  Saffold.  And  what 
shall  we  say  of  that?  What,  in  justice,  can  we  say  of 
it  ?  We  knew  that  it  was  a  hard  place  to  put  a  citizen 
of  Montgomery  in,  however  able  and  fearless  he  might 
be,  and  that  a  prudent  man  would  avoid  it.  But  the 
Judge  had  chosen  to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  the 
position.  It  was  a  coveted  opportunity  to  him  ;  one 
which  should  make  him  famous  at  the  north,  and  place 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  365 


him  in  the  front  rank  of  southern  reconstruction.  It 
was  a  sort  of  political  God-send,  which  should  give  him 
claims  that  he  could  press  at  Washington  in  the  future  ; 
and  all  that  was  against  him.  But  still  we  hoped  he 
would  rise  to  the  requirements  of  the  occasion,  and  en 
tertain  some  just  sense  of  its  importance.  We  did  not 
expect  what  we  would  have  liked  to  hear,  sentiments  in 
full  sympathy  with  loyal,  northern  thought ;  but  we  did 
expect  to  hear  some  noble,  manly  utterances  in  keeping 
with  the  irresistible  logic  of  passing  events.  Some  allu 
sions  to  the  facts  of  the  las^  four  years,  and  our  presence 
there  under  arms,  woven  in  somewhere,  in  a  way,  if  not 
firm  and  decided,  at  least  plausible  and  diplomatic.  We 
did  expect  him  to  advert  to  the  emancipation  of  the 
colored  race,  if  not  with  express  approbation,  certainly 
as  a  very  proper  war  measure,  and  one  to  which  the 
former  master  must  prepare  to  submit. 

But  we  were  disappointed.  For  nearly  an  hour  we 
were  fed  upon  what,  under  the  circumstances,  seemed 
the  veriest  trash  possible.  It  was  a  simple  exploration 
among  the  ruins  of  the  past,  without  one  allusion  to  the 
present.  He  lauded  our  pilgrim  fathers  at  Cape  Cod 
with  great  unction,  instead  of  on  Plymouth  Rock ;  dis 
covered  the  Pacific  with  Balboa  and  the  Mississippi  with 
DeSoto  ;  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  army  of  the  revo 
lution,  via  Valley  Forge  to  Yorktown  and  a  glorious 
victory,  and  called  to  mind  our  common  heritage  in  the 
triumphs  of  our  arms  in  Mexico.  He  also  left  our 
shores  and  went  backward  like  the  shadow  on  the  dial 


366  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24/TH 

a 

of  Ahaz,  to  Marathon,  Thermopylae,  and  the  "base  of 
Pompey's  pillar,  where  great  Caesar  lay  along,"  and  all 
without  pointing  a  living  truth,  or  possessing  the  merit 
of  being  an  illustration.  Poor  man,  how  he  traveled, 
and  how  disgusted  we  were  with  him,  as  with  the  fine- 
tooth  comb  of  his  witless  effort  he  raked  among  the 
ashes  of  by-gone  centuries,  and  turned  bodily  away  from 
all  the  fires  of  the  living,  battling,  glowing  present.  Not 
an  allusion,  even  the  remotest,  did  he  make  to  the  war, 
our  flag,  emancipation,  treason,  secession,  the  union  as 
such,  or  the  dangers  that  beset  our  government,  or  the 
fact  of  our  presence  there.  If  he  had  been  asleep  for 
five  years,  and  just  waked  up  in  time  for  that  speech, 
he  could  not  have  been  more  oblivious  to  the  issues  of 
the  hour  than  he  seemed  to  be.  And  as  we  thought  of 
what  he  should  have  said  that  he  did  not  say,  and  it  be 
came  apparent  that  he  was  about  to  close  without  say 
ing  a  word  of  it,  from  being  simply  disgusted,  we  be 
came  enraged.  We  felt  insulted,  outraged  by  him.  It 
was  the  crowning  indignity  of  the  day  ;  it  seemed  to  be 
studied,  intended  Montgomery  had  closed  its  doors 
and  staid  at  home  in  good  taste  compared  with  this  man, 
who  had  volunteered  to  be  our  orator,  and  thrust  him 
self  upon  us  on  such  a  sacred  occasion,  in  order  to  com 
pel  us  to  listen  to  his  ignoring  platitudes  and  senseless 
drivel,  and  leave  us  shamed  and  guilty  by  his  silence, 
because  we  were  where  we  had  no  call  to  be,  and  enga 
ged  in  doing  that  which  was  unworthy  a  4th  of  July 
mention  in  our  uresence.  We  could  not  and  we  would 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  307 


not  submit  to  any  such  thing.  Whatever  his  reasons 
were — and  they  were  probably  those  of  a  shallow  time- 
server,  as  we  come  to  see  it  now — we  determined  to 
change  the  whole  order  of  things.  To  be  marched  and 
counter-marched  in  the  broiling  sun,  as  we  had  been, 
through  the  deserted  streets  of  a  contemptuous  city,  so 
many  brave  men  and  gallant  officers,  captured  by  four 
or  five  double-dealing,  pretentious  southerners,  and 
then  to  have  it  all  end  in  this  way,  was  not  to  be  en 
dured  for  a  moment. 

So  we  said  to  our  fellow-soldiers  of  the  other  regi 
ments,  as  we  left  the  grove,  "Come  over  to  the  camp  of 
the  'hundred  and  two  dozen'  when  you  hear  the  'assem 
bly,'  and  we'll  have  another  edition,"  and  they  invari 
ably  replied,  "we'll  come." 

From  that  time  till  dusk  was  principally  spent  in  com 
paring  notes  on  what  had  already  transpired,  which 
proved  to  be  simply  manufacturing  thunder  for  the 
evening,  for  the  more  we  thought  about  the  matter  and 
discussed  it,  the  more  indignant  we  became.  There 
were  no  ameliorating  circumstances,  and  no  one  haz 
arded  so  much  as  the  faintest  suspicion  that  there  might 
be  another  view  taken  of  the  affair.  It  was  simply  out 
rageous  from  beginning  to  end.  And  so  the  long  after 
noon  wore  away. 

About  dusk  the  "assembly"  was  beaten  with  a  will 
in  our  beautiful  camp,  though  not  before  scores  were 
gathered  there.  The  multitudes  soon  responded.  We 
had  previously  invited  in  a  number  of  the  citizens  with 


368  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rH 

whom  we  were  somewhat  intimate,  so  that  we  had  sev 
eral  more  of  them  in  the  Colonel's  tent  than  were  pres 
ent  at  the  grand,  union  celebration  in  the  morning. 
They  dared  turn  out  now.  This  would  not  involve  a 
loss  of  southern  caste.  And  the  knowledge  that  some 
thing  more  than  usual  was  going  on,  had  filled  all  the 
balconies  and  piazzas  within  sight  and  hearing  of  us,  the 
ladies  being  largely  ni  the  ascendant. 

Next  the  tent  were  the  soldiers  by  hundreds,  not  only 
of  our  own  brigade,  but  of  the  other  commands  near  us. 
Outside  of  them  were  the  colored  people  in  large  num 
bers,  both  male  and  female,  and  beyond  them  the  whites 
again.  The  evening  was  all  that  could  be  desired  for 
out  of  door  speaking,  and  its  temperature  was  particu 
larly  inviting  and  grateful  after  the  scorching  heat  of  the 
day.  Nothing  outward  was  wanting  to  complete  the 
inspiration  of  the  hour,  and  all  was  in  a  quiver  of  expect 
ation.  The  exercises  began  with  a  stirring  song  by  our 
glee  club,  and  notwithstanding  the  interest  that  had 
given  character  to  our  music  at  Vicksburg  after  the 
election.  Captains  Field,  Merriman  and  Newland,  and 
Sergeant  Kent  never  sung  before  as  they  did  that  night. 
There  was  a  peculiar  emphasis  given  everything,  that 
was  in  marked  contrast  with  the  maudlin  twaddle  of  the 
day,  and  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  "The  Union, 
Now  and  Forever,"  and  "A  Thousand  Years,"  rang 
out  upon  the  evening  air  like  the  irrevocable  utterances 
of  the  gods  set  to  music,  as  the  time  sped  on  and  the 
enthusiasm  rose  higher  and  higher  still. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  369 

Col.  Howe  was  the  orator  of  the  occasion,  and  for 
over  an  hour  he  handled  treason  and  secession  with  a 
master's  hand.  His  denunciations  of  the  leaders  in  the 
rebellion,  including  its  petticoat  head,  and  his  warnings 
to  the  slaveocrats  of  Montgomery  were  a  revelation  to 
hundreds  who  heard  him  ;  and  why  we  were  there  that 
day  in  arms,  and  what  for,  though  not  to  their  credit, 
were  not  among  the  debateable  things  when  he  had  fin 
ished.  Conviction  had  been  carried  to  many  a  heart 
which  had  failed  to  realize  the  situation  before,  and 
we  were  all  rejoicing  in  the  opportunity  for  free  speech 
at  night,  which  the  failure  of  the  morning  had  afforded 
us. 

After  more  songs,  Chaplain  Howard  was  called  for, 
who  added  his  testimony  to  the  truth  the  Colonel  had 
spoken  ;  and  by  the  time  we  closed,  if  there  had  re 
mained  any  lingering  doubts  in  the  minds  of  the  citi 
zens  as  to  who  had  conquered  in  the  strife,  and 
whether  the  slaves  had  really  been  freed,  they  must 
have  been  dissipated.  So  our  4th  of  July  was  a  suc 
cess  after  all,  and  one  of  the  pleasant  memories  of  our 
service  is  of  that  night  and  its  ringing  utterances. 

The  War  Department  having  issued  instructions 
through  the  Freedman's  Bureau  for  all  the  colored 
people  living  together  as  husband  and  wife  to  be  legally 
married  or  separated,  wherever  our  armies  should  come, 
upon  reaching  Montgomery  there  was  found  to  be  so 
much  of  that  work  to  do,  that  Chaplain  Buckley,  Post 
Superintendent  of  -Freedmen,  sought  assistance,  and 


370  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241^11 

upon  the  /th  of  July  I  began  to  aid  him  by  marrying 
fourteen  couples.  I  then  fitted  up  a  room  for  my  greater 
convenience,  and  within  ten  days  married  eighty  two 
couples  more,  as  my  share  in  this  reformatory  work, 
or  ninety-six  couples  in  all. 

Most  of  these  were  but  the  legalizing  of  so  called 
marriages  of  long  standing,  and  in  many  instances  the 
elite  of  colored  society  and  the  honored  members  of  the 
African  churches  were  the  subjects.  The  first  day  two 
ministers  were  married,  who  had  lived  with  their  wives 
for  years,  and  raised  large  families.  One  of  these  min 
isters  was  a  former  slave  of  the  Hon.  Henry  W.  Hill- 
iard,  and  bore  his  old  master's  name. 

One  instance  of  this  re-marrying  was  peculiarly  affect 
ing.  A  woman  about  fifty  years  old  presented  herself, 
with  others,  and  said  her  husband  would  be  in  soon, 
and  wished  the  papers  made  out  against  he  came,  as  he 
was  in  a  hurry.  She  was  tall  and  commanding  in  ap 
pearance,  richly  dressed,  and  of  more  than  usual  intel 
ligence,  commending  herself  at  once  to  the  favorable 
consideration  of  a  stranger.  The  papers  were  comple 
ted  and  one  or  two  waiting  couples  had  been  disposed 
of,  when  a  short,  heavy,  yellow  man  came  in,  bare 
footed,  bareheaded,  and  wearing  only  a  pair  of  blue 
overalls  and  a  red  flannel  shirt,  which  was  open  at  the 
collar,  and  sleeves  rolled  above  his  elbows.  He  had  a 
blacksnake  whip  in  his  hand  which  he  cracked  a  time  or 
two  between  the  gate  and  the  open  door,  and  he  left  a 
horse  and  dray  standing  outside.  As  he  entered  he  was 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  371 


addressed  by  this  woman  at  once  as  her  husband,  and  took 
his  place  on  the  floor  by  her  side,  with  the  whip  still  in 
his  hand.  The  simple  service  was  soon  over,  and  at  its 
close  he  turned  to  his  new  wife,  with  whom  he  had  lived 
more  than  thirty  years — I  having  married  their  daugh 
ter  who  was  thirty  years  old,  in  the  forenoon — and  rais 
ing  his  right  hand  and  eyes  toward  heaven,  while  the 
great  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  he  said,  "I  thank 
thee,  O  God,  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  live  to  kiss 
my  wife,"  and  then  kissed  her  with  a  tenderness  that  was 
indescribable.  My  eyes,  too,  filled  with  tears  as  I  wit 
nessed  the  scene,  and  I  said,  "Despite  all  his  deceptive 
appearances  and  disadvantages,  here  is  one  of  nature's 
noblemen."  He  then  offered  me  a  five  dollar  bill,  which 
I  refused  to  take,  affirming  that  I  could  not  rob  a  freed- 
man  of  an  hour's  earnings.  Then  he  asked  me  how  much 
1  would  take,  adding,  "I  wish  you  to  understand  that 
this  is  worth  something  to  me,  sir."  I  replied,  "The  fee 
for  recording  at  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  is  fifty  cents,  and 
if  you  choose  you  may  give  me  a  little  more. "  He  handed 
me  a  two  dollar  bill,  with  profuse  thanks,  went  out  with 
his  wife,  cracking  his  whip,  and,  leaving  her  to  go  home 
alone  as  she  came,  mounted  his  dray,  and  drove  off,  as 
happy  a  man  as  I  ever  saw. 

This  marrying  resulted  in  keeping  my  room  liberally 
supplied  with  fruit  of  all  kinds  known  to  the  season  and 
place,  and  with  the  richest  of  cakes  in  great  profusion, 
as  expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  service  rendered,  on 


372  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

the  part  of  those  who  had  little  else  to  give.  The  fifty 
cents  for  recording,  and  a  great  watermelon,  or  a  peck 
of  peaches  and  figs  for  the  certificate,  made  it  all  right. 
And  the  day  we  left  Montgomery  I  was  escorted  by 
hundreds  of  these  grateful  people  to  the  steamboat  land 
ing,  in  a  hack  which  they  had  furnished,  and  bidden 
good  by  with  as  deep  and  genuine  regrets  as  are  experi 
enced  by  those  of  whiter  faces,  and  they  were  fully  re 
ciprocated  by  me. 

About  this  time  the  certainty  of  our  being  speedily 
discharged,  led  us  to  begin  to  "trim  ship,"  and  as  apart 
of  that  work  the  field  officers  all  disposed  of  their  horses, 
and  from  thenceforth  went  on  foot ;  hence  there  could 
be  no  more  reviews.  All  that  was  past,  and  in  sympa 
thy  with  it  our  dress-parade  ceased.  Fortunately  for  us 
horses  were  in  tolerably  good  demand  in  Montgomery. 

Quartermaster  Reece,  too,  was  ordered  to  turn  over 
all  his  splendid  teams,  which  was  a  great  grief  to  him 
and  Durley,  and  shared  in  by  us  all.  But  the  teamsters, 
poor  fellows,  felt  it  the  most  keenly.  It  was  really  a 
breaking  up  to  them,  and  as  they  sauntered  around  after 
their  mules  were  gone,  like  Othello,  without  an  occupa 
tion,  they  were  really  to  be  pitied.  But  they  had  the 
satisfaction  of  hearing  the  Post  Quartermaster  say,  their 
teams  were  the  best  he  had  ever  receipted  for. 

After  the  wounding  of  Adjutant  Smith,  at  Spanish 
Fort.  Serg't.  Maj.  Wharton  acted  as  Adjutant,  and  his 
promotion  to  a  1st  Lieutenancy  was  at  last  obtained, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  373 


but  he  was  not  mustered  on  account  of  our  leaving  the 
service  so  soon.  Since  leaving  Vicksburg,  however,  we 
had  secured  the  promotion  and  muster  of  2d  Lieutenants 
Thomas  P.  Price,  of  company  D  ;  Wm.  B.  Day,  of 
company  G  ;  James  A.  Griffith,  of  company  I  ;  and 
John  B.  Mabry,  of  company  K  ;  while  Harvey  B.  Pow 
ers,  of  company  E,  and  Geo.  M.  Cronk,  of  company 
H,  were  commissioned  2d  Lieutenants,  but  not  mustered. 
Col.  Howe  was  also  brevetted  Brigadier  General,  and 
Maj.  Mann  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
Capt.  Field,  Major. 

The  last  few  weeks  of  our  stay  in  this  city  were  ex 
tremely  hot,  the  thermometer  creeping  up  to  112°  in 
the  shade,  on  the  7th  of  July.  But  there  was  very  lit 
tle  sickness  in  the  regiment,  and  we  did  not  lose  a  man 
during  all  our  stay  in  Alabama,  after  leaving  Spanish 
Fort. 

Rumors  of  leaving  became  very  abundant  soon  after 
the  4th,  and  as  usual  they  were  of  all  kinds  and  shapes. 
Sometimes  we  were  going  back  to  New  Orleans,  and 
home  by  way  of  the  Atlantic  and  Washington.  Some 
times  we  were  to  be  mustered  out  where  we  were, 
and  scatter  as  we  chose,  and  one  day  it  was  confidently 
affirmed  that  the  muster-out  officer  had  arrived  for  that 
purpose.  But  most  of  the  rumors  made  Vicksburg  the 
first  objective  point,  from  which  we  were  to  go  north  in 
a  body,  which  proved  to  be  correct.  And  we  had  not 
long  to  wait  for  their  confirmation.  Orders  were  re- 


374  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


ceived  to  prepare  rolls  upon  which  to  transfer  our  re 
cruits  to  other  organizations,  and  we  went  about  it  in 
earnest,  realizing  that  the  end  was  near.  On  the  I4th  of 
July  some  Missouri  troops  started  for  home,  and  the  ice 
was  broken,  as  the  boys  called  it. 

On  Sunday,  the  i6th,  orders  were  received  to  embark 
on  the  first  boat  for  Vicksburg.  All  was  on  the  quii>ive 
in  an  instant.  The  day  that  had  been  quiet  as  Sunday 
should  be  till  that  moment,  was  quiet  no  longer.  Home 
seemed  very  near,  and  every  heart  was  throbbing.  We 
were  the  first  Illinois  regiment  to  move,  thanks  to  the 
influence  and  indomitable  energy  of  Gen.  Howe.  A 
heavy  rain  and  wind  came  on  in  the  afternoon,  but  did 
not  abate  our  ardor  in  the  least,  and  we  could  have  em 
barked  in  an  hour  had  there  been  a  boat. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  i/th  word  was  brought 
that  a  steamer  was  at  the  landing  ready  for  us,  and 
though  it  was  raining  quite  hard,  our  boys  immediately 
struck  their  tents,  and  were  anxiously  awaiting  orders  to 
go  on  board.  Our  neighbors  of  the  other  regiments 
were  all  greatly  surprised  at  the  celerity  of  our  move 
ments  in  getting  off,  as  none  of  them  were  yet  ready. 
But  though  they  envied  us,  they  rejoiced  at  our  good 
fortune,  and  bade  us  say  in  Illinois  that  they  were  com 
ing.  At  half-past  one  o'clock  we  were  all  safely  be 
stowed  upon  the  steamer  ''Virginia,"  having  bidden 
good  by  to  Gen.  Carr  and  staff,  and  the  hundreds  of 
others  who  were  there  to  see  us  off.  The  bell  rung,  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  375 

plank  was  pulled  in,  and  we  swung  out  into  the  Ala 
bama,  and  headed  down  the  stream  for  Selma  and  Vicks- 
burg,  en  route  for  home,  bidding  farewell  to  Mont 
gomery,  most  of  us,  forever. 

We  reached  Selma  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  re 
mained  on  the  boat  till  morning,  most  of  us  getting  a 
tolerable  night's  rest.  We  debarked  early,  breakfasted 
from  our  haversacks  and  at  restaurants — our  officers' 
mess,  at  least,  being  defunct — and  went  on  board  the 
cars  at  eight  o'clock  for  Demopolis.  A  few  of  us  im 
proved  the  brief  moment  before  starting  in  visiting  the 
ruins  of  the  Confederate  States  Arsenal,  as  the  grand 
cavalry  raider,  Gen.  Wilson,  left  them.  The  destruc 
tion  was  found  to  be  very  complete,  but  our  regrets 
were  few. 

Soon  after  starting  we  crossed  two  very  pokerish 
bridges,  one  of  which  was  over  the  Cahaba.  They 
were  simply  a  track  laid  on  pine  piles,  in  some  instan 
ces,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  as  many  as  thirty  or  forty  feet 
high,  and  our  heavily  loaded  train  swayed  its  frail  sup 
ports  to  and  fro,  as  we  slowly  rolled  over  them,  giving 
us  a  real  scare.  But  we  crossed  in  safety,  and  accord 
ing  to  the  old  proverb,  ought  to  speak  well  of  the  bridges, 
though  we  confess  to  no  desire  to  repeat  the  ride. 

At  two  P.  M.  we  found  ourselves  at  Demopolis,  and 
went  on  board  the  ferry-boat  "Robert  Watson,"  steam 
ing  down  the  Tombigbee  to  McDowell's  Landing. 
There  we  found  the  n/th  Illinois  on  their  way  home, 


376  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

and  had  to  wait  for  them  to  get  off.      In  about  an  hour 
we  followed  them  on  a  train  for  Meridian,  Mississippi. 

Having  only  box  cars  and  not  enough  of  them,  our 
accommodations  were  not  very  good,  and  many  of  us 
took  the  roofs  of  the  cars  for  sleeping  purposes,  in  pref 
erence  to  the  crowded,  suffocating  insides,  and  we  en 
joyed  our  risky  choice  amazingly. 

About  three  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  I9th  of  July,  we  were 
awakened  by  the  statement  that  we  were  once  more  in 
Meridian ;  that  Meridian  to  which  we  had  paid  our 
respects  in  February,  1864,  and  left  in  ashes.  We  re 
made  our  beds  upon  the  platform  at  the  depot,  and 
wherever  else  we  could  make  ourselves  comfortable,  to 
finish  our  night's  sleep.  But  unlike  the  old  time,  we 
did  not  lie  upon  our  arms,  or  put  out  any  guards. 
Meridian  had  become  quiet  and  safe. 

That  day  we  spent  where  we  were,  and  transferred 
our  recruits  to  the  33d  Illinois,  which  was  in  camp  there. 
It  was  hard  for  the  boys  to  leave  us,  and  hard  for  us  to 
part  with  them.  Some  of  them  had  been  with  us  ever 
since  we  went  to  the  front,  sharing  with  us  in  all  our 
campaigns,  and  it  seemed  especially  hard  for  them  to  be 
obliged  to  stay  while  we  went  home,  because  they  had 
a  few  days  less  time  to  their  credit.  But  there  was  no 
alternative. 

During  the  day  the  8ist  and  I  I4th  Illinois,  and  the 
loth  Minnesota  came  in,  on  their  way  home,  which 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  377 

made  the  forlorn  looking  place  quite  lively.  The  citi 
zens  seemed  determined  to  improve  their  opportunity 
for  making  up  their  war  losses  while  we  were  tr  ere,  as 
far  as  possible,  charging  us  a  dollar  for  meals,  and,  as 
Allaire  says,  "Setting  on  victuals  no  one  could  eat. " 
But  we  could  stand  it  one  day,  especially  as  we  were 
going  home. 

The  2Oth  we  were  on  the  cars  again,  for  Jackson,  and 
rather  enjoyed  the  ride.  It  is  true  we  had  only  box 
cars,  but  we  had  more  of  them,  so  we  could  make  our 
selves  more  comfortable,  and  it  was  in  the  daytime  and 
tolerably  pleasant.  And  at  every  place  the  train  stop 
ped  the  inhabitants  came  flocking  with  watermelons  for 
sale,  which  were  disposed  of  so  cheaply,  unlike  the  Meri 
dian  dinners,  that  we  all  indulged  in  them,  and  they 
became  the  rage.  Nearly  everybody  was  cutting  mel 
ons,  and  saying,  "Now  try  a  piece  of  my  melon,"  and, 
"You  must  help  me  eat  mine,"  all  the  way  to  Jackson. 
Great,  luscious  forty-pounders,  for  ten  or  fifteen  cents 
apiece;  we  have  never  seen  their  like  since,  either  for 
size  or  sweetness.  Gen.  Gholson,  who  tried  a  hand 
with  us  at  Jackson  Cross  Roads,  in  July,  1864,  and  lost 
a  hand  in  doing  it,  was  with  us  on  the  train,  and  shared 
our  watermelons,  learning  that  we  were  a  part  of  the 
force  he  did  not  whip  that  day. 

We  reached  Jackson  about  four  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  and  Reece  obtained  transportation  for  our  bag 
gage  across  Pearl  river,  where  it  awaited  a  wagon  train 


378  HiSTORV    OF    THE     1 2zj.TH 


to  the  Big  Black.  We  rested  awhile  and  then  started 
out  to  march  a  few  miles  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  as 
the  railroad  was  not  in  operation,  and  the  distance  to  the 
Big  Black  had  to  be  made  on  foot.  Many  of  the  officers 
took  hacks,  paying  as  high  as  ten  dollars  ap.'ece  for  the 
ride,  and  pushing  on  all  night,  reached  Vicksburg  the 
next  day.  The  men,  too,  clubbed  together  many  of 
them,  and  hired  mule  teams  to  carry  their  personal  bag 
gage,  paying  in  one  or  two  instances,  fifty  dollars  a  com 
pany.  This  was  the  more  necessary  as  many  of  them 
had  extra  loads  in  the  shape  of  bird-cages  with  young 
mocking  birds,  and  other  things  they  were  anxious  to 
get  home  as  souvenirs  of  the  war. 

A  few  miles  out  the  regiment  halted  for  the  night, 
and  the  next  day  moved  on  to  Edwards'  Station,  pass 
ing  through  Clinton,  and  over  our  old  battle-field  of 
Champion  Hills  for  the  last  time,  and  getting  into  camp 
about  ten  at  night,  having  rested  during  the  heat  of  the 
day.  On  Saturday,  the  22d,  the  Big  Black  was  reached 
once  more,  and  the  cars  carried  the  last  of  us  into  Vicks 
burg,  where  we  found  lodgment  in  the  Cherry  street 
barracks,  having  finished  our  last  march  in  the  service. 
And  a  trying  one  it  had  been,  in  the  heat  and  dust,  after 
so  long  relaxation  at  Montgomery.  We  found  Lieut. 
Taylor,  of  company  F,  Quartermaster  at  Big  Black, 
who  rendered  many  of  us  kindly  aid  in  our  need,  and 
proceeded  to  get  ready  to  go  home  with  us. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  379 


But  our  fatiguing  march  from  Jackson  was  not  so  sad 
as  our  ride  from  the  Big  Black,  for  one  of  our  brave 
men,  Benjamin  A.  Noble,  of  company  G,  was  sunstruck 
on  the  roof  of  a  car,  and  died  soon  after  reaching  the 
depot  in  Vicksburg.  To  pass  through  so  much  un 
scathed,  and  die  thus,  on  his  way  home  was,  indeed, 
strange. 


380  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/111 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


Muster-out  rolls. — Headquarters  at  the  Washington  House. — Equip 
ments  turned  over. — The  work  supposed  to  be  finished. — Lind  mar 
ried. — On  the  "Ida  Handy,"  and  good  by  to  Vicksburg. — Aground. 
— Mouth  of  White  river. — The  last  sermon. — At  Cairo. — On  a  "wild 
train"  of  35  cars  with  the  7Gth  Illinois — Through  the  State. — At 
Chicago. — Soldier's  Rest. — Grand  reception  at  the  Court  House. — 
Papers  defective.— Camp  Douglas.— Two  weeks  of  waiting.  —  Tribune 
article.  Ed.  McGlynn. — Paid  off  and  free  at  last. — Testimonials  to 
Reece  and  Durley. — Off  for  home. — Reception  at  Kewanee. — The 
war-path  ended. 


MONDAY,  JULY  24th,  saw  us  all  at  work  on  mus 
ter-out  rolls  and  final  papers.  No  one  whose  hand 
was  clerkly  was  idle.  Our  headquarters  were  at  the 
Washington  House,  where  Gen.  Howe  staid,  and  in  his 
rooms  every  step  was  discussed,  and  every'effort  put  forth 
to  ensure  the  greatest  dispatch.  Tuesday  was  devoted  to 
the  same  tasks,  and  a  part  of  Wednesday,  when  the 
rolls  being  finished,  our  equipments,  except  our  arms, 
were  turned  over,  and  we  passed  through  the  formality, 
as  we  supposed,  of  a  complete  muster-out.  But  our 
rolls  were  not  signed,  as  we  could  not  be  paid  in  full 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  381 

where  we  were,  our  time  being  incomplete,  and  we  were 
ordered  to  report  at  Chicago  for  final  payment,  and  our 
discharge  papers. 

Thursday  some  other  little  details  were  attended  to, 
by  the  direction  of  the  mustering  officer,  and  we  were 
ready  to  start  for  home  on  the  first  suitable  boat.  We 
did  not  propose  to  take  an  unsuitable  one  if  we  could 
avoid  it. 

But  before  we  could  get  off  another  little  affair,  which 
was  a  muster-in,  instead  of  a  muster-out,  had  to  be  at 
tended  to  at  the  Washington  House,  in  the  shape  of  a 
wedding.  Andrew  Lind,  of  company  A,  who  had  so 
long  been  Col.  Howe's  orderly,  had  found  a  buxom 
widow  in  Vicksburg,  by  the  name  of  Mrs.  Josephine  S. 
Burland,  who  was  willing  to  accompany  him  to  his 
northern  home.  So  the  aid  of  the  Chaplain  was  invoked, 
and  the  last  official  act  of  our  long,  Vicksburg  sojourn 
was  the  making  of  so  much  of  the  north  and  south,  one. 

The  28th  of  July  the  "Ida  Handy"  reached  the  land 
ing  from  below  about  three  o'clock,  and  we  were  soon 
on  board  of  her  with  all  our  remaining  effects.  At  five 
p.  M.,  we  got  off,  and  were  steaming  up  the  "Father  of 
Waters"  on  our  last  trip,  having  said  farewell  to  our 
many  friends,  and  also  to  the  bloody  hills  of  Vicksburg. 

Two  incidents  occurred  on  the  29th,  which  were  of 
some  interest  to  us  at  the  time.  One  was  getting 
aground,  where  we  lay  about  three  hours,  to  our  great 
disgust.  But  we  were  finally  pulled  off  by  the  "Bos- 
tona"  and  "Gunboat  No.  10, "  and  were  on  our  way 
again,  though  with  less  confidence  in  the  management 


382  HISTORY  OF  THE 


of  the  steamer.  No  vessel  going  up  the  river,  and 
as  slowly  as  we  were,  should  get  aground  so  badly. 
Going:  down  stream  with  the  current  to  set  us  on  harder 

o 

would  have  been  pardonable. 

The  other  incident  occurred  at  the  mouth  of  White 
river,  where  the  6th  Kansas  regiment  was  ordered  on 
board,  with  us  for  Cairo,  and  the  Captain  of  the  boat 
raised  no  objection.  But  Gen.  Howe,  remembering  the 
''Sultana"  horror,  from  overcrowding,  and  having  had 
enough  of  the  sardine  packing  business  on  the  ''Guiding 
Star,"  ordered  them  off  the  boat.  In  this  he  was  most 
heartily  sustained  by  every  member  of  our  regiment, 
though  we  deeply  sympathized  with  the  Kansas  boys 
in  their  impatience  and  disappointment.  In  the  eve 
ning  we  indulged  in  a  little  of  our  old  "piney  woods" 
music,  in  the  cabin,  and  gave  <lOld  Shady,"  with  other 
pieces,  a  sort  of  going  home  emphasis. 

Sunday  evening,  July  3Oth,  the  Chaplain  preached  his 
last  sermon  to  the  regiment,  in  the  cabin,  from  Gen. 
13  :  12,  13.  It  was  an  earnest  appeal  to  the  men,  upon 
their  engaging  in  the  pursuits  of  peace,  among  which 
they  were  at  liberty  to  choose,  not  to  pitch  their  tents 
toward  Sodom  simply  because  the  plain  was  well 
watered,  but  to  counsel  with  God,  and  pitch  in  the  plain 
of  Mamre,  which  is  Hebron.  And  it  closed  with  the 
hope  that  all  the  dear  old  regiment,  so  soon  to  be  sepa 
rated  on  earth,  might  be  re-united  in  Heaven. 

On  Monday  we  reached  Memphis  at  two  A.  M  ,  and 
made  but  a  short  stop,  leaving  again  a  little  after  day- 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  383 

light.  But  short  as  our  stay  was,  the  "Grey  Eagle" 
passed  us  there,  with  the  /6th  Illinois  on  board,  making 
us  think  regretfully  of  our  three  hours  on  the  sand-bar, 
and  anxious  about  our  transportation  from  Cairo.  But 
we  could  not  help  ourselves.  They  were  ahead,  and 
our  boat  stubbornly  refused  to  run  only  about  eight 
miles  an  hour. 

A  little  after  noon  on  the  1st  day  of  August,  we  reached 
Cairo,  and  once  more  were  upon  the  soil  of  our  own 
State  as  a  regiment,  what  was  left  of  us.  Sadly  we 
looked  down  the  river,  up  which  we  had  just  come,  and 
thought  of  our  brave  comrades  who  had  gone  down 
that  same  dark  stream  to  die.  They  once  stood  with  us 
here  in  their  strength  and  hope,  but  they  are  not  with 
us  now.  Our  ranks  have  been  greatly  thinned  by  our 
part  in  a  Nation's  sacrifice.  But  we  had  little  time  to 
indulge  in  sad  thoughts,  even  for  men  so  worthy,  for  we 
were  almost  home,  and  there  was  joy  ahead. 

To  make  sure  of  .transportation  upon  reaching  Illinois, 
and  knowing  the  76th  were  ready  to  leave  Vicksburg 
when  we  did,  Reece  had  telegraphed  from  there  to  Cap 
tain  Black,  at  Cairo,  to  provide  especially  for  us.  But 
the  dispatch  was  not  received,  and  the  76th  were  there 
first.  So  upon  Gen.  Howe's  reporting  our  arrival,  he 
was  advised  to  go  back  on  board  the  steamer  and  pro 
ceed  to  St.  Louis,  as  it  would  be  two  or  three  days  be 
fore  cars  could  be  furnished  us  at  Cairo.  Here  was  a 
dilemma,  and  one  which  found  us  but  poorly  provided 
with  patience.  To  be  run  by  and  headed  off  after  such 


384  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

a  fashion,  was  peculiarly  trying.  But  the  same  energy 
and  perseverance  that  had  served  us  so  well  in  many 
an  emergency  in  Dixie,  prevailed  in  Cairo,  for  the 
authorities  were  manipulated  into  consenting  to  put  both 
regiments  on  a  freight  train  and  start  us  off  together. 
This  was  much  better  than  waiting,  especially  if  we 
had  to  see  the  76th  leave  in  passenger  coaches.  We 
were  on  a  level  now,  and  our  pride  demanded  that. 

So  at  four  o'clock,  having  been  in  Cairo  only  a  little 
over  three  hours,  both  regiments  were  loaded  on  a  "wild 
train,"  as  one  without  any  right  of  way  is  called,  con 
sisting  of  thirty-five  freight  cars ;  and,  covering  roofs  as 
well  as  filling  the  insides,  a  moving  mass  of  blue,  we 
started  in  great  glee  on  our  triumphal  procession  through 
the  whole  length  of  our  home  State. 

Our  train  was  so  heavy  that  from  Centralia  it  required 
two  engines  to  draw  it,  and  being  a  wild  one,  we  some 
times  ran  very  slowly,  as  we  could  go  but  a  little  dis 
tance  before  being  obliged  to  wait  for  those  who  had 
the  right  of  way.  But  wherever  we  came  we  were  re 
ceived  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  and  the  heartiest  wel 
come.  Crowds  flocked  to  the  depots  to  greet  us,  and 
handkerchiefs  waved  from  countless  windows  and  balco 
nies  by  the  way.  At  Champaign  City,  owing  to  the 
company  of  the  /6th,  which  was  partly  raised  in  Cham 
paign  county,  bountiful  refreshments  were  awaiting  us, 
provided  by  the  ladies,  and  we  stopped  about  three 
hours  to  enjoy  them.  Many  of  our  comrades  of  that 
regiment  met  their  wives  and  children  there,  and  we 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  385 

rejoiced  with  them  in  their  greetings,  only  to  long 
more  impatiently  to  go  forward  to  ours.  We  became 
greatly  wearied  by  our  positions  on  the  long  trip, 
being  without  seats  only  as  our  feet  dangled  from 
the  roofs  of  the  cars,  or  we  sat  upon  the  floors. 

But  at  last,  about  nine  o'clock  Thursday  morning, 
August  3d,  after  being  forty-one  hours  on  the  way,  we 
slowly  rolled  along  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  into  the 
great  union  depot,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  street,  Chicago, 
and  this,  our  last  ride  together,  all  in  blue,  was  ended. 

Chicago  was  all  astir  to  receive  us.  From  the  time 
that  we  came  near  the  first  house  in  the  city,  men, 
women  and  children  stood  ready  to  give  us  a  cordial 
welcome.  "This  is  grand,"  said  Capt.  Stafford,  as  we 
rode  along  the  lake  front,  past  the  myriads  of  waving 
cambrics,  where  even  the  business  of  the  great  city 
seemed  to  pause  to  do  us  honor. 

We  were  seized  upon  by  a  committee  of  citizens  as 
soon  as  we  alighted  from  the  train,  and  hurried  away  to 
the  Soldiers'  Rest  for  breakfast.  And  even  now  we  well 
remember  that  we  did  ample  justice  to  the  bill  of  fare, 
waited  upon  as  we  were  by  those  whose  bright  smiles 
and  kind  attentions  made  us  doubly  welcome. 

From  breakfast,  which  we  were  a  little  long  in  dis 
cussing,  we  were  marched  to  the  Court  House,  where  a 
public  reception  awaited  us,  an  account  of  which  we 
copy  in  full  from  the  Tribune  of  that  date,  omitting  the 
historical  sketches  and  rosters : 


386  HISTORY  OF  THE   124™ 

4 'At  an  early  hour  yesterday  morning,  the  1 24th  and 
76th  regiments  of  Illinois  volunteers  arrived  here,  the 
former  direct  from  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  the  lat 
ter  from  Galveston,  Texas.  They  breakfasted  at  the 
Soldiers'  Rest,  and  at  a  littfe  after  twelve  o'clock  marched 
up  to  the  Court  House  square,  where,  under  direction 
of  Colonel  Bowen,  of  the  Governor's  staff,  a  reception 
was  tendered  them.  A  very  large  concourse  of  people 
assembled  to  greet  the  returning  veterans  when  they 
marched  up  before  the  Court  House,  the  /6th  on  the 
right,  and  by  division  closed  in  mass.  They  were 
greeted  with  a  succession  of  the  most  hearty  and  enthu 
siastic  cheers,  warmly  expressing  the  proud  and  grateful 
feelings  with  which  our  people  regard  their  gallant  de 
fenders.  When  the  cheers  had  ceased  and  the  band  had 
brought  to  a  close  one  of  those  elaborate  and  patriotic 
airs  which,  once  commenced,  they  always  persevere  in 
finishing,  under  all  circumstances,  Mayor  Rice  addressed 
the  soldiers  in  a  few  warm  hearted  words  of  welcome, 
speaking  of  the  noble  sacrifices  they  had  made,  and  the 
courage  and  discipline  by  which  they  had  won  their  ever 
green  laurels  of  victory,  and  aided  in  saving  the  life  of 
the  Nation.  He  was  succeeded  by  Hon.  I.  N.  Arnold, 
who  made  an  eloquent  speech  of  considerable  length,  in 
which  he  spoke  of  the  gallantry  of  the  regiments  before 
him,  the  arduous  service  and  the  terrible  battles  which 
they  had  endured,  and  of  the  gratitude  toward  them 
which  filled  every  loyal  American  heart. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  387 

"Colonel  A.  W.  Mack,  the  former  commandant  of 
the  76th  regiment,  made  a  brief,  but  pointed  and  spirited 
address. 

( 'Colonel  J.  H.  Howe  made  the  first  response  in  be 
half  of  the  1 24th  regiment.  He  spoke  first  of  the  grati 
tude  they  felt  for  the  warm  reception  they  had  just 
received,  and  then  with  commendable  pride  in  the  brave 
boys  under  his  command,  reverted  to  the  toils,  dangers 
and  hardships  they  had  undergone  without  murmuring, 
and  with  the  highest  honor  to  themselves  and  the 
country.  'I  hey  went  forth  at  the  darkest  hour  of  our 
great  struggle,  leaving  behind  them  all  men  hold  dear 
on  earth,  next  to  country  and  honor,  with  a  full  con 
sciousness  of  the  severity  of  the  conflict  in  which  they 
were  about  to  engage,  but  sustained  by  a  noble  and  pat 
riotic  sense  of  duty.  In  all  their  service,  during  which 
they  have  marched  over  seven  thousand  miles,  and  been 
engaged  in  two  sieges  and  twenty-four  pitched  battles 
and  skirmishes,  they  have  never  been  obliged  to  fall 
back  before  the  enemy,  have  never  failed  to  drive  him 
wherever  brought  into  action,  and  have  borne  their  bat 
tle  flag  without  a  single  stain,  except  those  which  have 
fallen  on  it  from  the  blood  of  its  brave  defenders. 
Although  it  had  been  the  fortune  of  other  regiments,  as 
brave  and  thoroughly  disciplined  as  they,  to  be  at  times 
repulsed,  the  I24th  had  to  thank  God  that  they  had 
never  been  so  unfortunate,  but  that  victory  had  always 
attended  their  arms.  In  conclusion  he  again  returned 
thanks  to  the  people  of  Chicago,  and  especially  to  the 


388  HISTORY  OF  THE 


ladies  both  of  this  city  and  the  rest  of  Illinois,  for  their 
unremitting  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
field,  and  the  hearty  welcome  they  extended  to  them  on 
their  return  home. 

'  'Colonel  S.  T.  Busey  remarked  that  Col.  Howe  had 
so  well  expressed  all  he  felt  that  there  was  little  or 
nothing  left  for  him  to  say,  except  to  return  his  thanks 
in  behalf  of  his  command  for  the  warm  reception  and 
kind  treatment  they  had  received,  and  this  he  did  with 
his  whole  heart. 

"On  the  conclusion  of  Col.  Busey's  brief  remarks, 
the  band  performed  the  "Star  Spangled  Banner,  "  the 
regiments  marched  by  the  flank  out  of  the  square,  then 
opened  ranks  and  assumed  the  handsome  but  unusual 
marching  order  of  ''knapsack  rest,"  or  "cross  shoulder 
shift,"  and  thus  disappeared  down  Washington  street, 
amid  the  long  continued  cheers  of  the  assembled  thous 
ands  of  citizens.  A  finer  looking  body  of  soldiers  has 
scarce  ever  been  seen  in  our  streets,  well  used  as  our 
city  is  to  military  display.  They  marched  with  an  erect 
and  easy  carriage,  accuracy  of  step  and  time,  which 
stamped  them  at  once  as  thoroughly  disciplined  veter 
ans,  and  drew  forth  the  highest  encomiums  from  those 
who  witnessed  their  marchin. 


. 


"At  the  Soldiers'  Rest  they  partook  of  an  excellent 
dinner,  furnished  by  the  ladies  of  the  Rest,  aided  by  the 
citizens'  committee,  under  the  management  of  Colonel 
Bowen,  and  then  marched  out  to  Camp  Douglas.'' 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  389 

The  sketch  from  the  Tribune  makes  the  further  state 
ment,  that  the  regiment  returned  with  only  four  hundred, 
officers  and  men,  the  remainder  having  been  killed  in  bat 
tle,  died  of  disease  contracted  in  the  army,  been  dis 
charged  from  disability,  resigned  or  transferred.  This 
was  substantially  correct,  as  the  subsequent  figures  will 
show. 

So  far  the  3d  day  of  August,  1865,  had  been  very 
pleasant,  and  we  had  drank  deeply  of  its  happiness. 
But  ere  nightfall  our  joy  had  all  vanished,  and  we  were 
entering  upon  one  of  the  most  vexatious  and  uncalled 
for  experiences  of  our  army  life.  It  was  true  we  were 
well  cared  for  and  quite  comfortable,  outwardly.  We 
were  among  friends  with  no  enemy  to  meet  in  deadly 
conflict,  or  trying  march  to  make.  But  what  seemed  to 
us  the  very  worst  thing  possible  under  the  circumstan 
ces,  occurred.  Our  muster-out  papers  were  pronounced 
defective,  and  that  placed  us  in  a  worse  condition  than 
as  though  we  had  done  nothing  at  Vicksburg.  To  have 
been  bungled  over  by  one  officer  so  far  away,  was  to 
hinder  others  from  undertaking  our  case. 

But  there  was  a  possibility  that  the  matter  might  be 
remedied  by  addressing  the  authorities  at  Washington, 
and  on  that  hope  we  rested  for  a  time,  assured  that  the 
officers  in  Chicago  would  do  all  they  possibly  could  for 
us.  While  the  correspondence  was  going  on,  some  few 
obtained  leave  of  absence  and  went  home  for  a  day  or 
two.  It  was  almost  impossible  for  them  to  do  other 
wise,  being  so  near  their  loved  ones  from  whom  they 


390  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

had  been  separated  so  long.  Others  had  their  wives 
come  to  them  as  soon  as  the  dilemma  presented  itself, 
and  several  of  the  officers  went  to  the  hotels  on  that 
account.  But  the  regiment  remained  at  Camp  Douglas, 
and  there  the  officers  were  present  a  part  of  the  time  at 
least  each  day  till  the  end  came. 

Our  worst  fears  were  all  realized.  The  officer  at 
Vicksburg  had  signed  nothing,  and  the  officers  in  Chi 
cago  could  not  complete  his  work.  Neither  could  they 
undertake  anew  for  us  till  specially  directed  to  that 
effect,  and  the  time  consumed  in  waiting  and  corres 
ponding,  with  that  necessarily  required  to  do  the  work 
all  over  again  when  permitted  to  go  about  it,  dragged 
on  almost  interminably.  Not  till  the  evening  of  the 
1 6th,  two  long  weeks,  were  we  released  from  our  sense 
less  thralldom.  The  following  from  the  Tribune  pre 
sents  the  case  somewhat  forcibly  : 

"The  1 24th  regiment  Illinois  volunteers,  are  just  now 
in  no  little  trouble  about  their  muster-out  of  the  service. 
They  claim  to  be  mustered  out,  and  show  an  order  from 
one  commanding  General,  sending  them  to  Vicksburg 
to  be  mustered  out,  and  another  from  another  General, 
directing  their  muster-out  after  their  arrival  there.  But 
the  mustering  officer,  whoever  he  was,  has  not  signed  a 
single  one  of  their  muster-rolls  or  discharges,  so  that 
there  is  no  official  knowledge  here  of  that  important 
ceremonial  having  been  gone  through  with.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  their  statements  are  true,  but  through 
the  lamentable  ignorance  of  the  mustering-out  officer 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  391 

they  are  now  unable  to  get  their  pay  or  be  discharged 
until  that  point  is  settled. 

"For  the  past  two  days  Capt.  Pomeroy,  United 
States  Mustering  Officer  here,  has  been  telegraphing 
and  corresponding  with  the  department,  with  a  view  to 
the  adjustment  of  the  difficulty,  but  matters  still  remain 
in  statu  quo. 

"Meanwhile  the  regiment  expresses  itself  with  no 
small  degree  of  force  in  the  premises,  and  in  a  manner 
fully  just,  but  decidedly  uncomplimentary  to  the  mus- 
tering-out  officer. 

"We  have  already  had  occasion  to  refer  more  than 
once  to  the  almost  incalculable  trouble  and  annoyance, 
occasioned  by  the  stupidity  or  carelessness  of  officers  in 
the  field,  to  whom  this  and  other  like  important  duties 
have  been  intrusted  ;  and  again  we  do  so  even  more 
strongly  than  before,  as  this  is  a  peculiarly  aggravated 
case.  Heretofore  the  sufferers  have  been  but  individu 
als.  But  now,  by  the  inconceivable  and  immeasurable 
stupidity  of  one  shoulder-strapped  official,  a  whole  regi 
ment  of  several  hundred  men  are  kept  in  the  most 
annoying  suspense  for  days  and  possibly  weeks,  just  at 
the  time  when  they  are  most  anxious  to  be  free  to  hasten 
to  their  loved  ones  to  whom  they  are  brought  so  near." 

The  day  before  our  discharge,  one  of  our  number, 
who  had  come  to  Chicago  in  good  health,  was  released 
by  another  mustering-out  officer.  The  delay  of  red  tape 
is  all  unknown  to  death.  Poor  Ed.  McGlynn,  of  com 
pany  E,  was  found  dying  in  camp  of  a  congestive  chill, 


392  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2zj.TH 


the  morning  of  the  1 5th.  The  excesses  of  a  weary 
waiting  among  the  temptations  of  Chicago  had  been  too 
great  for  him,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  formalities  of  our 
glad  release  from  our  three  years  of  service,  he  was  lying 
among  us  cold  in  death,  having  gone  through  the  perils 
and  hardships  of  the  war  to  die  like  Abner,  at  the 
last. 

But  the  good  time  coming  finally  came,  though 

"It  was  long,  long,  long  on  the  way," 

and  on  the  i$th  our  new  rolls  were  completed,  the  re 
quisite  formalities  gone  through  with  again,  our  guns 
turned  over,  and  Capt.  Geo.  W.  Hill,  of  the  I3th 
United  States  infantry,  began  to  sign  our  discharges, 
while  Maj.  H.  B.  Reece  commenced  to  pay  us  off,  and 
by  the  evening  of  the  i6th  the  work  was  done,  the  regi 
ment  disbanded,  and  most  of  us  had  gone  our  ways  to 
meet  no  more  till  the  Roll-call  over  the  River,  the  sadness 
of  our  farewells  being  greatly  lessened  by  our  impatience 
to  share  in  the  delights  of  other  scenes  awaiting  us. 

While  we  were  awaiting  our  discharge  a  very  pleas 
ant  event  occurred  in  the  parlors  of  the  Adams  House, 
where  Quartermaster  Reece  with  his  amiable  wife  were 
stopping.  It  was  the  presentation  of  testimonials  of 
respect  and  appreciation  from  the  officers  of  the  regi 
ment  to  him  and  Q.  M.  Serg't.  Durley,  for  their  re 
markably  efficient  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  Quarter 
master's  Department.  The  gifts  were  two  neat  gold 
and  silver  medals,  and  the  presentation  was  made  by 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  393 

Gen.  Howe  in  a  very  happy  speech,  in  which  he  re 
viewed  the  history  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department 
in  a  way  to  show  that  the  gifts  were  no  empty  compli 
ments.  The  whole  was  richly  enjoyed  by  the  officers 
present,  and  was  a  perfect  surprise  to  Reece,  which  he 
laughingly  says  now,  all  ought  to  have  known  from  the 
very  eloquent  speech  which  he  did  not  make.  So  still 
had  the  whole  thing  been  kept  that  Durley  was  not 
present,  and  had  to  receive  his  medal  subsequently, 
because  he  could  not  be  found  for  the  occasion. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  companies  going  down 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  should  get 
off  together  if  possible,  on  the  evening  of  the  i6th,  and 
this  was  partially  done,  so  that,  while  it  effected  but 
little  at  Aurora,  where  three  companies  stopped,  it  ac 
complished  something  at  Kewanee  the  morning  of  the 
I /th,  where  the  citizens  were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the 
train  at  seven  o'clock,  with  a  sumptuous  breakfast  pre 
pared.  Companies  A  and  F,  with  Gen.  Howe,  were  at 
home  there,  and  all  were  wild  with  delight.  Large  por 
tions  of  D  and  I  were  in  company,  and  shared  in  the 
feast  and  welcome.  That  evening  a  general  reception 
was  given  to  the  returned  veterans,  in  every  way  worthy 
of  the  occasion,  the  men  and  the  place.  And  other  por 
tions  of  the  regiment  were  similarly  welcomed  and 
feasted  at  their  respective  homes. 

While  rejoicing  in  the  sense  of  our  freedom  and  the 
delights  of  home,  more  than  one  of  us  strangely  missed 


394  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 

the  old  routine,  and  was  sad  at  the  absence  of  the  tent- 
mates  and  comrades  whose  hearts  had  been  knit  together 
in  the  same  privations,  and  welded  in  the  same  strife. 
There  was  an  abruptness  about  it  all  that  troubled  us. 
But  gradually  we  fell  back  into  our  old  habits  and  re 
turned  to  the  pursuits  of  peace,  not  sorry  that  the  war 
path  which  had  led  us  so  far,  and  for  eighty-two  days 
and  sixty  nights  under  the  enemy's  fire,  was  ended. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  395 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


RELIGIOUS. 

Ministers  in  the  regiment. — Services  in  the  barracks. — Chaplain  Fos- 
kett. — All  new  to  us.— Somewhat  discouraged.— Ranks  thinned.— 
Change  of  Chaplains.— Better  opportunities. — Form  a  church. — Its 
officers. — Subscription  for  reading. — Bible  dictionaries. — Protracted 
meetings. — Tho  Christian  Commission.— Singing  school.— Bible 
class. — Weekly  prayer  meetings. — Chaplain  in  the  State  House  at 
Montgomery. — African  emotion. — Church  losses  by  death. — Letters 
given  and  church  disbanded. 


FEW  REGIMENTS  entered  the  service  with  as  strong 
a  religious  force  as  the  I24th.  It  numbered  fifteen 
ministers  in  the  ranks,  besides  its  Chaplain,  nearly  if  not 
quite  equaling  the  73d  Illinois  in  that  respect,  which  was 
usually  known  as  "  the  preachers  regiment."  There 
belonged  as  follows : 

Company  C — 1st  Lieut.  John  W.  Terry, 

Private  Reuben  Gregg. 
Company  D — Capt.  Stephen  Brink, 

Private  Victor  M    Dewey, 
44      L.  C.  Kelsey. 


396  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rH 

Company  I — Capt.  Thos.  K.  Roach, 

ist  Lieut.  R.  L.  Howard, 
Orderly  Joseph  L-yon, 
2d.Serg't.  Joel  H.  Hasten, 
Corporal  Milo  Hobart, 

Dexter  Millay, 
Private  G.  Miles  Colwell, 
Hay  wood  Howell, 
Elijah  G.  Lyon. 

Company  K — Capt.  James  H.  Morgan. 

Of  these,  five  were  Free  Baptists,  four  were  Episco 
pal  Methodists,  three  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  and 
one  each,  Baptist,  Wesleyan  Methodist,  and  Unitarian, 
several  of  whom  left  their  pulpits  for  the  field  only  from 
a  stern  sense  of  duty  to  their  country,  and  because  so 
many  of  their  members  were  going  into  the  service  and 
needed  them. 

With  so  many  ministers  it  necessarily  followed  that 
the  per  cent,  of  professing  Christians  in  the  regiment 
must  have  been  very  large,  and  something  to  be  truly 
thankful  for,  on  the  part  of  all  those  who  cared  for  its 
moral  and  spiritual  interests. 

Among  those  who  were  not  ministers  were  many 
whose  piety  and  religious  influence  were  quite  as  marked 
and  effective,  as  in  many  who  were,  and  it  promised  to 
be  comparatively  easy  for  us  to  maintain  religious  inter 
ests,  and  make  spiritual  progress  despite  the  inevitable 
hindrances  of  the  service. . 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  397 

We  commenced  our  weekly  prayer  meetings  at  Camp 
Butler,  as  soon  as  our  barracks  were  built,  and  we  had  a 
place  to  hold  them.  They  were  seasons  of  deep  inter 
est.  In  addition  to  the  Sunday  morning  services  by 
the  Chaplain,  we  had  afternoon  preaching  in  the  bar 
racks  by  Capt.  Brink,  Lieut.  Howard,  and  others,  so 
that  some  of  us  were  really  gainers  in  religious  privileges 
by  being  in  the  service.  And  all  our  meetings  appeared 
to  be  well  appreciated. 

Chaplain  Foskett  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
with  commendable  zeal,  and  the  confidence  of  the  regi 
ment.  While  in  Camp  Butler  nothing  occurred  to  seri 
ously  interfere  with  our  volunteer  services,  or  more 
than  once  or  twice  with  our  Sunday  preaching.  So  we 
had  no  knowledge  there  ot'  the  difficulties  and  trials 
awaiting  us.  Of  course  we  understood  that  a  portion  of 
both  officers  and  men  were  indifferent  as  to  whether  we 
had  any  Chaplain,  or  religious  services  ;  but  we  were 
prepared  to  prosecute  our  Christian  work,  as  at  home, 
notwithstanding  that,  and  even  to  make  some  head 
against  serious  opposition  in  case  it  was  encountered, 
which,  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to  say,  was  not.  Strong 
as  we  were  we  anticipated  but  little  real  trouble  from 
any  source. 

And  so  we  went  to  the  field.  Learning  of  our  minis 
terial  personnel,  other  regiments  began  to  draw  upon  us 
for  assistance,  both  in  burying  their  dead,  and  conduct 
ing  divine  service ;  and  scarcely  a  Sunday  passed  in 


HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 


camp  without  some  of  our  ministers  being  on  duty  else 
where,  besides  our  sustaining  our  own  work. 

But  the  details  of  the  service  in  the  field  were 
found  to  be  engrossing,  new  to  us  as  it  all  was, 
and  what  was  worse,  the  conditions  of  our  religious 
privileges  were  equally  new,  and  very  unyielding.  We 
knew  not  how  to  take  advantage  of  anything.  We 
could  really  be  sure  of  no  one  at  any  time.  Permanent 
details  and  sickness  took  away  our  men.  Sunday 
seemed  to  be  the  favorite  day  for  parades,  inspections 
arid  reviews.  There  was  no  time  to  preach  or  pray. 
And  there  was  an  incongruity-be:ween  our  calling,  and 
our  profession  as  Christians,  that  for  a  time  threaten 
the  foundations  of  our  faith  and  our  character  together. 
War  with  its  Sunday  desecration  and  spirit  was  so  un 
like  the  peace  and  teachings  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
They  appeared  to  be  irreconcilable.  Even  our  Chap 
lain  began  to  be  discouraged.  We  had  no  regimental 
prayer  meeting  under  his  control,  our  social  meetings 
all  being  company  gatherings,  which  he  had  seldom 
attended,  and  as  the  service  began  to  tell  upon  us  to  our 
hurt,  and  our  Sunday  services  were  less  frequently  held, 
and  more  thinly  attended,  he  appeared  to  regard  the 
religious  prospects  of  the  regiment  as  comparatively 
hopeless.  And  so  passed  our  first  winter,  during  which 
we  all  felt  that  we  were  losing  spiritual  ground. 

And  some  of  our  ministers  were  among  the  first  to 
leave  us.  Capt.  Morgan  resigned,  Hobart  and  Gregg 
were  detached,  E.  G.  Lyon  and  Howell  were  discharged, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  399 

and  others  were  sick.  And  the  same  was  true  of  many 
of  our  most  reliable  Christian  men.  The  dark  days  of 
our  regiment,  spiritually,  as  well  as  otherwise,  were 
upon  us,  and  our  hearts  and  hopes  fainted. 

At  Berry's  Landing,  in  March,  we  had  some  deeply 
interesting  meetings,  which  somewhat  revived  and 
cheered  us.  Chaplain  Foskett  brought  Chaplain  But 
ton,  of  the  2Oth  Illinois,  to  his  aid,  who  preached  to  us 
two  or  three  evenings,  and  our  ministers  entered  zeal 
ously  into  the  work.  The  voice  of  prayer  was  heard 
every  evening  for  two  weeks  or  more  in  some  of  our 
tents,  and  from  some  lips  before  unused  to  pray. 

But  the  Vicksburg  campaign  was  upon  us,  and  that 
put  an  effectual  period  to  all  our  services  for  a  time. 
During  the  seige  Chaplain  Foskett  went  to  the  Division 
Hospital,  where  he  could  be  of  most  service  to  the  sick 
and  wounded,  and  from  there,  his  eyes  failing  him,  he 
left  us  for  home  before  the  surrender,  his  resignation 
bearing  date  July  1st,  1863. 

That  left  us  without  any  official  religious  direction, 
though  after  we  settled  down  quietly  in  camp  once  more 
we  resumed  our  prayer  meetings,  and  had  preaching  as 
formerly  by  some  one  of  our  ministers.  During,  or 
soon  after  the  close  of  the  seige,  Captains  Brink  and 
Roach  and  Lieutenant  Terry  resigned,  which  still  far 
ther  reduced  our  effective  ministerial  force,  leaving  us 
but  four  out  of  our  former  number  of  fifteen,  upon  whom 
we  could  rely. 


400  HISTORY  OF  THE 


The  Christian  men  of  the  regiment  seemed  to  appre 
hend  its  condition  and  wants,  and  immediately  set  about 
securing  a  Chaplain,  which  was  done  by  the  promotion 
of  Lieutenant  Howard,  of  Company  I,  to  that  position, 
upon  a  petition  signed  by  all  the  officers  in  the  regi 
ment,  as  stated  in  Chapter  10. 

He  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  Septem 
ber  9,  1863,  with  the  full  confidence  of  the  regiment, 
and  with  some  advantages  which  his  predecessor  had 
necessarily  lacked.  These  were  chiefly,  an  experience 
in  the  field  and  the  work  ;  a  more  favorable  state  of 
mind  in  the  regiment,  owing  somewhat  to  the  rigors  of 
the  seige  and  summer,  and  somewhat  to  our  having  been 
longer  in  the  service,  so  that  we  had  adjusted  ourselves 
to  our  recognized  wants,  and  were  now  able  to  meet 
them  ;  and  a  period  of  comparative  quiet  which  afforded 
better  opportunities  for  work  than  had  been  previously 
enjoyed. 

One  of  the  first  things  done  under  the  new  Chaplain, 
after  the  extension  of  the  prayer  meeting  boundaries  to 
include  all,  by  having  it  at  his  tent,  was  the  organization 
of  a  regimental  church,  which  should  throw  around  its 
members  the  restraints  and  influences,  and  'invest  them 
with  the  responsibilities  of  churches  at  home  In  this 
he  was  heartily  supported  by  every  active  Christian  in 
the  regiment.  A  full  account  of  the  organization  is  in_ 
serted,  with  the  covenant  and  accompanying  articles  : 

'  '  It  being  deemed  necessary  in  some   way   to   secure 
the   utmost  harmony   in   effort,  and  the  co-operation  of 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  401 

all  Christians  in  the  regiment,  in  promoting  the  interests 
of  the  cause  of  Christ  therein  ;  after  advising  with  sev 
eral  of  the  brethren,  a  meeting  was  called  by  the  Chap 
lain  to  be  held  at  three  o'clock  p.  M.  ,  on  Sunday,  October 
4th,  1863,  to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of 
organizing  a  Regimental  Christian  Association." 

"SUNDAY,  Oct.  4th,   1863. 

"  Met  according  to  appointment.  Opened  the  meet 
ing  with  prayer.  The  subject  of  the  call  was  earnestly 
discussed  by  the  brethren,  and  the  opinion  was  unan 
imous  in  favor  of  such  an  organization.  On  motion,  a 
committee  of  three,  consisting  of  Chaplain  R.  L.  How 
ard,  Captain  H.  L.  Field  and  Lieutenant  Abraham 
Newland,  was  appointed  to  draft  a  Covenant  and  resolu 
tions,  and  report  the  result  in  one  week. 

"  A  committee  of  two  was  also  appointed,  consisting 
of  Rev.  Victor  M.  Dewey  and  Sergeant  Wm.  C.  Kent, 
to  write  a  letter  of  sympathy  and  condolence  to  sister 
Oman,  widow  of  brother  Henry  Oman,  of  Company  A, 
recently  deceased,  expressing  the  confidence  of  the 
meeting  and  regiment  in  his  Christian  character  and  tri 
umphant  death. 

"  Adjourned  to  meet  in  one  week." 

4 'SUNDAY,  Oct.   iith,  1863. 

'•  Met  according  to  adjournment.  After  other  ser 
vices  were  through,  the  committee  appointed  one  week 
ago  reported  the  following,  which  was  unanimously 
adopted  by  the  brethren  present.  "  The  letter  for  Mrs. 


402  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rH 

Oman   was  also  read  and   requested  to  be  sent,  as  ex 
pressing  the  views  and  feeling  of  the  meeting. 

"H.   L.    FIELD,    Secretary." 

* '  Covenant  and  Articles  of  Association  of  the  Christian 
Union  of  the  1 24^/2  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteer  Regi 
ment. 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereto  appended,  believ 
ing  in  the  cardinal  points  of  Christian  doctrine,  and 
trusting  that  we  have  passed  from  death  until  life, 
through  repentance  and  faith  in  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
and  believing  that  it  will  be  promotive  of  the  great  in 
terests  of  Christianity  among  us,  do  subscribe  our  names 
to  the  following  Covenant  and  Articles: 

"We  do  solemnly  covenant  and  promise  with  each 
other  and  before  God,  that  we  will  live  lives  devoted  to  the 
service  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  following  His  example 
while  here  upon  earth,  walking  as  far  as  in  us  lies  in  all 
the  ordinances  of  God's  house  blameless.  That  we  will 
love  and  carefully  watch  over  each  other,  reprove,  re 
buke  and  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering  and  prayer, 
maintaining  gospel  discipline  in  our  midst. 

"That  we  will  sustain  the  means  of  grace  to  the  best 
of  our  ability,  and  labor  by  precept  and  example  to 
bring  sinners  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth,  by  pointing 
them  to  the  Lamb  of  God,  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of 
the  world.  That  among  special  sins  we  will  discourage 
and  prayerfully  counsel  against  profanity,  intemperance, 
card-playing  and  all  games  of  chance,  and  other  kindred 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  403 

vices.  And  in  general  we  will  endeavor,  by  well 
ordered  lives,  to  honor  and  glorify  God,  assist  each 
other  in  the  way  to  heaven,  and  do  good  among  our 
associates. 

"ART.  i.  The  officers  of  this  Union  shall  consist  of 
a  Moderator,  a  Clerk,  and  a  Committee  of  Ten,  the  lat 
ter  to  be  chosen,  as  far  as  practicable,  one  from  each 
company  of  the  regiment.  These  officers  shall  be  elected 
quarterly. 

"ART.  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Moderator  to 
preside  at  all  business  meetings  of  the  Union,  and  in  his 
absence  the  Clerk  shall  call  the  meeting  to  order,  and  a 
Moderator  pro.  tern,  shall  be  appointed. 

"ART.  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Clerk  to'  keep 
an  accurate  record  of  the  proceedings  of  this  Union,  in 
a  book  provided  for  that  purpose,  and  do  all  other  writ 
ing  usually  pertaining  to  his  office. 

"ART.  4.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  of 
Ten,  chosen  from  the  different  companies  in  the  regi 
ment,  to  aid  in  the  distribution  of  reading  matter,  and 
to  make  any  suggestions  that  may  occur  to  them  for  the 
general  benefit  of  their  respective  companies. 

"ART.  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  aforesaid  offi 
cers  of  the  Union,  in  conjunction  with  the  Chaplain  of 
the  regiment,  to  counsel  with  and  warn  any  members 
who  may  at  any  time  become  careless  of  duty,  or  step 
aside  from  the  correct  path,  and  try,  in  the  spirit  of  love 
and  meekness,  to  restore  such  to  the  path  of  virtue  and 
godliness. 


404  HISTORY  OF  THE 


"ART.  6.  In  case  of  the  death  of  any  member  of  our 
Union,  there  shall  be  a  committee  of  one  or  more,  as 
shall  seem  best,  appointed  to  write  a  letter  of  sympathy 
and  condolence  to  the  friends  of  the  deceased. 

"ART.  7.  In  case  of  the  discharge  of  any  member 
from  the  military  service,  or  at  the  close  of  our  term  of 
service  as  soldiers,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Clerk, 
with  those  who  may  be  appointed  to  assist  him,  to  pre 
pare  for  every  such  one  who  may  then  be  a  member  of 
this  Union  in  good  standing,  a  letter  stating  that  fact, 
and  cordially  recommending  him  as  a  proper  person  for 
membership  in  any  Gospel  church. 

'  'ART.  8.  On  the  first  Monday  evening  of  each  month 
there  shall  be  a  monthly  covenant  and  experience  meet 
ing,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  especially  from  the  dif 
ferent  members  as  to  their  individual  progress,  or  what 
may  have  occurred  of  interest  to  the  Union  during  the 
preceding  month. 

"ART.  9.  Meetings  for  business  shall  be  held  every 
alternative  Friday  evening  ;  and  such  meetings  may  be 
called  at  any  time,  when  necessary,  by  the  Chaplain,  or 
by  any  five  members.  Such  meetings  shall  always  be 
opened  and  closed  with  prayer. 

''ART.  10.  This  Covenant  and  these  Articles  may  be 
altered  or  amended  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  mem 
bers  present  and  voting,  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the 
Union." 

The  first  business  meeting  of  the  Union,  after  the 
signing  of  the  Covenant  and  Articles,  to  which  sixteen 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  405 

names  had  been  appended,  was  held  on  Monday  evening, 
November  2d,  when  seven  others  united  by  experience 
and  a  vote.  An  election  of  officers  was  then  held,  with 
the  following  result : 

Moderator :   Capt.  Henry  L.  Field,   company  C. 

Clerk:   Rev.  Victor  M.  Dewey,  company  D. 

Committe  of  Ten  :  Serg'f  Wm.  C.  Kent,  company 
A;  Cleveland  Acox,  company  B  ;  Matthew  Manning, 
company  C  ;  Thomas  Conner,  company  D  ;  Herriek 
Blanchard,  company  F ;  James  D.  Sisk.  company  G  ; 
Corporal  Charles  A.  Hannaford,  company  I  ;  Sergeant 
Wesley  Hudgens,  company  K. 

No  member  was  chosen  from  company  E,  for  the 
reason  that  no  one  had  yet  joined  from  that  company, 
but  at  a  subsequent  meeting  Private  Job.  H.  Yaggy  was 
chosen  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  several  of  our  most  active 
members,  at  a  later  period,  were  from  company  E. 

The  minutes  of  this  regimental  church  afford  some 
very  interesting  reading  to  a  lover  of  the  old  regiment. 
Under  the  date  of  November  2Oth,  1863,  on  the  Big 
Black,  this  entry  is  found  : 

"A  motion  was  then  made  by  the  Chaplain  to  appoint 
a  committee  of  three  by  the  Moderator,  to  take  into 
consideration  the  propriety  of  building  a  place  of  wor 
ship.  Remarks  were  made  by  the  Chaplain  and  Brother 
Newland,  and  the  motion  prevailed,  whereupon  the 
Moderator  appointed  Brethren  Howard,  Newland  and 
Blanchard  said  committee." 


406  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/111 


That  was  the  beginning  of  our  chapel  experience,  and 
led  to  the  erection  of  the  commodious  place  of  worship, 
which  did  us  such  good  service  there,  and  was  repeated 
later  in  Vicksburg.  But  an  account  of  that  has  already 
been  given  in  the  body  of  the  history. 

Under  the  same  date  occurs  another  entry,  not  already 
noticed,  which  introduces  us  to  the  beginning  of  an  im 
portant  work  among  us : 

"Brother  Conner,  ol  company  D,  then  suggested  that 
a  collection  be  taken  in  the  different  companies  for  the 
purpose  of  purchasing  reading  matter  for  the  regiment. 
A  motion  was  then  made  to  instruct  the  Committee  of 
Ten  to  raise  what  they  could  for  that  purpose,  and  the 
motion  prevailed." 

Subsequently  the  committee  reported  $92.95  col 
lected,  of  which  $12.20  was  from  the  field  and  staff, 
$12.00  from  company  C,  $H.OOfrom  company  I,  and 
$10.00  each  from  H  and  K.  each  of  the  other  companies 
contributing  a  share.  This  was  increased  at  a  later  date, 
and  the  following  papers  were  subscribed  for  with  a  part 
of  the  money  : 

New  York  Tribune,  tri-weekly,  one  copy. 
Chicago  Tribune,  tri-weekly,  one  copy. 
Cincinnati  Commercial,  tri-weekly,  one  copy. 
Harper's  Weekly,  one  copy. 
New  York  Independent,  ten  copies. 
Northwestern  Christian  Advocate,  five  copies. 
Christian  Times,  ten  copies. 
Morning  Star,  fifteen  copies. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  407 

The  two  latter  papers  we  received  at  reduced  rates, 
and  we  were  also  favored  with  extra  copies  from  benevo 
lent  sources  at  the  north. 

The  2/th  of  December,  1863,  after  a  deeply  interest 
ing  service,  the  ordinance  of  baptism  was  administered 
by  the  Chaplain,  in  Clear  creek,  near  our  camp,  the 
candidates  being  three  members  of  the  2Oth  Illinois, 
Geo.  F.  Smith,  Wm.  Nixon  and  Samuel  Proud.  Chap 
lain  Richards,  of  the  2Oth,  was  present,  and  assisted  by 
the  water's  side. 

Somewhat  later  the  Watchman  and  Reflector,  two 
copies,  and  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  were  subscribed  for, 
and  our  subscription  list,  in  full,  was  kept  up  to  the  end 
of  our  service.  In  addition  to  our  papers  a  Bible  Dic 
tionary  was  purchased  by  each  company.,  and  the  study 
of  the  Scriptures  was  entered  upon  by  several,  with 
more  of  leisure  and  a  deeper  interest  than  ever  before. 

For  several  weeks  while  on  the  Big  Black,  we  held 
meetings  every  night,  assisted  by  Chaplain  Richards,  of 
the  2Oth.  Several  were  converted  and  reclaimed,  and 
most  of  the  regiments  in  the  brigade  shared,  to  some 
extent,  in  the  work. 

The  Christian  Commission,  from  time  to  time,  sent 
men  to  see  us,  who  were  always  a  help  to  us,  and  the 
aid  afforded  us  by  that  organization,  while  in  Vicksburg, 
in  furnishing  additional  reading,  keeping  open  rooms  for 
the  resort  of  soldiers,  sustaining  lectures  and  lyceums, 
and  so  creating,  with  the  aid  of  soldiers'  and  officers' 
wives,  a  kind  of  northern  or  home  society,  can  never 


408  HISTORY  OF  THE 


be  fully  told.  Our  gatherings  in  the  basement  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  that  city,  where  Messrs.  Black, 
Maull,  Parmalee  and  Corey,  in  turn,  had  charge,  and 
where  those  noble  young  ladies  from  the  north,  Miss 
Bissell  and  Miss  Levings,  were  always  ready  to  cheer  us 
with  their  sympathy,  and  encourage  us  by  their  Chris 
tian  counsel,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  many  of  the 
members  of  the  '  'Hundred  and  two  dozen. "  They  were 
bright  spots  in  our  army  life  ;  oases  in  the  southern 
social  desert. 

In  addition  to  other  expedients  for  making  the  sol 
dier's  life  one  of  improvement  and  culture,  a  singing 
school  was  taught  by  the  Chaplain  in  our  chapel  tent 
at  Vicksburg,  which  pleasantly,  as  well  as  profitably, 
employed  many  an  hour  during  the  long  months  of 
1864.  A  black-board  was  procured  and  the  class  began 
in  the  rudiments,  several  of  its  members  making  great 
proficiancy. 

A  Bible  class  was  conducted  for  nearly  a  year,  and 
made  a  success  both  in  attendance  and  interest.  Though 
broken  in  upon  by  all  manner  of  details  and  duties,  each 
recurring  Sabbath  found  a  goodly  number  present  with 
their  Bibles,  and  their  smiling  faces,  eager  for  their 
wonted  refreshing  from  the  stores  of  divine  truth. 

But  our  prayer  meetings  were  the  great  promoters  of 
spiritual  life  and  power  among  us.  Two  of  these  were 
sustained  each  week  during  ail  the  later  portion  of  our 
regimental  existence,  being  held  on  Sunday  and  Wed 
nesday  evenings.  Different  ones  were  appointed  to  lead 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  409 


them,  and  they  were  often  seasons  of  inspiration  and  re 
freshing.  True,  we  lacked,  and  we  sometimes  pined  for 
the  sympathetic  utterances,  and  the  peculiar  tenderness 
of  the  female  element  in  our  home  meetings,  but  we 
often  left  our  hallowed  chapel,  naming  it  "  Bethel  " 
in  our  hearts,  because  there  God  had  met  us  so 
wonderfully. 

A  few  extracts  from  our  church  records  must  be  of 
interest  to  all  who  loved  to  meet  with  us  : 

"WEDNESDAY,    Aug.    3lst,    1864. 

"Prayer  meeting  at  the  usual  hour.  The  Lord  was 
present,  and  that  to  bless,  The  brethren  were  strength 
ened  and  still  determined  to  press  on. 

4 '  EVAN  H.  NOYES,  Clerk. 

"WEDNESDAY,    Oct.    5th,    1864. 

"Held  our  usual  prayer  meeting.  Brother  Manning 
led  the  opening  exercises.  A  good  degree  of  interest 
was  manifested,  and  several  spoke  who  had  taken  no 
part  with  us  for  a  long  time.  Our  hearts  were  greatly 
cheered. 

"SUNDAY  EVENING,  Oct.  pth. 

"Prayer  meeting  led  by  Brother  Mumma,  of  company 
D.  More  than  usual  interest  was  felt,  and  the  love  of 
God  was  richly  enjoyed. 

"R.  L.  HOWARD,  Clerk. 


410  HISTORY  OF  THE  1241^1 


"WEDNESDAY,  Feb.   ist,   1865. 

"Prayer  meeting  this  evening  as  usual,  led  by  the 
Chaplain.  An  unusually  large  attendance,  notwith 
standing  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  The  Lord  was 
with  us  indeed. 

"R.  S.  THOMPSON,  Clerk" 

Occasionally,  however,  our  prayer  meetings  would  be 
a  failure,  though  we  were  not  on  duty,  and  sometimes 
from  trivial  causes.  The  record  of  Wednesday  evening, 
December  2 1st,  1864,  says,  "No  prayer  meeting  because 
it  was  too  windy  to  keep  the  stove-pipe  up."  But  on 
another  occasion  there  was  surely  cause  for  a  failure,  as 
the  record  says,  ''There  was  no  prayer  meeting  to-night 
on  account  of  the  present  storm,  and  the  chapel  tent 
having  blown  down. "  The  last  record  of  a  prayer  meet 
ing  is  of  the  date  of  July  5th,  1865,  at  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  and  is  in  these  words:  "Prayer  meeting  led 
by  the  Chaplain."  But  though  our  army  prayer  meet 
ing  days  are  numbered,  the  voice  of  prayer  is  not  yet 
hushed  on  the  lips  of  those  who  used  to  enjoy  them. 

One  of  the  peculiar  incidents  of  our  religious  history 
is  that  of  a  sermon  delivered  by  Chaplain  Howard,  in 
the  State  House  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  April  3Oth, 
1865.  It  was  the  first  public  appearance  of  a  union 
Minister  of  the  Gospel  in  that  city,  which  had  rocked 
the  cradle  of  secession  as  the  first  capital  of  the  confed 
eracy.  And  the  service  was  held  in  the  place  where 
Yancey  was  wont  to  spout  treason,  and  where  Davis 
was  inaugurated.  Where  a  short  time  before,  his  life 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  411 


would  not  have  been  worth  a  groat,  had  the  speaker 
dared  to  utter  such  sentiments  as  constituted  the  staple 
of  his  discourse  on  that  occasion. 

The  meeting  was  held  at  the  instance  of  a  number  of 
the  Chaplains,  several  of  whom  bore  a  part  in  the  ser 
vices.  The  Senate  Chamber  was  used  as  being  the  more 
commodious,  and  was  densely  packed,  many  citizens 
and  some  ladies  being  present,  though  by  far  the  largest 
part  were  soldiers.  The  text  was  from  Luke  8:  53, 
"And  they  laughed  him  to  scorn,  knowing  that  she  was 
dead." 

The  sermon  was  a  presentation  of  the  seeming  hope 
lessness  of  the  union  cause  as  illustrated  by  the  death  of 
the  little  maid,  with  the  south,  the  copperheads,  and 
the  envious  monarchists  of  the  old  world  laughing  us  to 
scorn.  Until  we  ceased  to  return  contrabands,  and  by 
the  emancipation  proclamation  declared  that  the  issue 
in  God's  war  was  against  slavery,  those  who  prophesied 
our  failure  seemed  to  have  the  truth  on  their  side.  The 
little  maid  was  dead.  But  when  our  blows  were  directed 
against  the  giant  evil,  victory  began  everywhere  to 
perch  upon  our  standard,  and  the  God  of  battles  turned 
away  the  scorn  of  our  adversaries  on  many  a  gory  field, 
lifting  up  the  Union  into  the  promise  of  a  new  and 
more  glorious  life,  which  we  and  our  children  should 
live  to  see. 

One  other  incident,  which  occurred  at  Montgomery, 
is  worthy  of  mention.  The  Chaplain  occasionally 
preached  for  the  Zion,  or  African  Methodist  Church, 


412  HlSTORV    OF    THE     I24TH 


whose  house  of  worship  stood  near  our  camp.  One 
evening  in  his  opening  prayer,  the  house  being;  very 
full,  he  referred  to  the  fact  that  with  a  good  many, 
emancipation  was  as  yet  only  an  experiment,  the  wisdom 
of  which  was  by  no  means  settled,  and  prayed  some 
what  in  this  wise : 

"O  Lord,  help  them  so  to  live,  so  to  take  the  neces 
sary  steps  to  secure  their  own  elevation,  mental,  moral 
and  religious,  that  not  only  the  friends  of  emancipation 
but  its  enemies,  the  gazing  world,  and  even  their  old 
masters,  as  they  behold  their  well-doing  in  righteous 
ness,  shall  be  compelled  to  say  that  Thou  in  freeing  them 
hast  done  well." 

As  the  conclusion  was  reached  the  whole  congrega 
tion,  which  had  been  almost  breathlessly  silent,  broke 
out  into  a  wild  storm  of  responses  and  shouting,  rising 
almost  en  masse  to  their  feet,  and  crying  "amen," 
"  glory  to  God,"  ''hallelujah,"  "done  well,"  "yes, 
yes,  Massa  Lord,  done  well."  till  the  scene  beggared 
description.  All  the  impulsiveness  of  that  impulsive 
people  had  been  fired  like  a  magazine  by  an  unconscious 
spark,  and  though  the  Chaplain  sought  the  whole  service 
through  to  calm  them,  it  was  nearly  in  vain.  It  made 
but  little  difference  to  them  how  he  talked,  or  what  he 
said  more.  Their  minds  were  full.  The  one  idea  had 
taken  complete  possession  with  power,  and  though  there 
would  be  comparative  quiet  for  a  few  moments,  at  times, 
some  brother  or  sister  would  groan  out  in  tones  of  deep 
est  feeling,  as  though  it  was  impossible  to  repress  it, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  413 

'  'That's  it,  MassaLord,  that  Thou  in  freeing  us  hast  done 
well,  '  and  scores  would  spring  to  their  feet  in  an  in 
stant,  as  though  electrified,  and  rocking  to  and  fro  would 
wring  and  clap  their  hands,  and  shout  "amen,"  "glory 
to  God,"  and  "yes,  Massa  Lord,  done  well,"  almost  as 
wildly  as  at  the  first.  It  was  a  scene  long  to  be  re 
membered  by  one  unaccustomed  to  such  demonstra 
tions,  but  which,  though  it  argued  but  little  for  their 
power  of  self-control,  spoke  volumes  for  their  keen 
appreciation  of  the  truth,  and  for  the  sentiments  of 
their  hearts. 

The  time  at  last  drew  near  for  us  to  leave  the  service, 
and  to  carry  out  the  provisions  of  our  organization  with 
regard  to  all  worthy  members.  Upon  examination  of 
our  record  it  is  found  that  we  had  expelled  five  mem 
bers ;  given  letters  to  three,  namely:  Rev.  Victor  M. 
Dewey,  of  company  D,  promoted  in  the  colored  service; 
James  D.  Sisk,  of  company  G,  discharged  for  disability, 
and  Francis  Flanigan,  of  the  45th  Illinois,  the  only  mem 
ber  received  from  without  our  regiment ;  while  three 
had  died.  These  were:  Cleveland  Acox,  of  company 
B,  who  died  of  wounds  on  the  Big  Black,  Mississippi, 
March  7th,  1864;  Matthew  Manning,  of  company  C, 
killed  at  Spanish  Fort,  Alabama,  April  6th,  1865,  and 
Amos  B.  Johnson,  of  company  I,  who  died  in  hospital, 
at  Quincy,  Illinois,  April  2/th,  1865.  To  the  friends  of 
these,  as  well  as  to  the  widows  of  Henry  Oman,  of  com 
pany  A.  and  Daniel  Jenkins,  of  company  E,  letters  of 
condolence  and  sympathy  were  sent. 


414  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

And  there  remained  of  the  sixty-eight  in  all,  who  had 
joined  our  church,  thirty-nine  members,  according  to  the 
report  of  the  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose,  to 
whom  letters  should  be  granted,  namely  :  R.  L  How 
ard,  Chaplain  ;  Henry  L.  Field,  Captain  company  C, 
(now  Major)  ;  Abraham  Newland,  Captain  company  D  ; 
Joel  H.  Mastin,  1st  Lieutenant  company  I  ;  Thomas  P. 
Price,  2d  Lieutenant  company  D  ;  Harvey  B.  Powers, 
2d  Lieutenant  company  E  ;  W.  C.  Kent,  1st  Sergeant 
company  A;  David  T.  Guy,  1st  Sergeant  company  I  ; 
Sergeants,  Henry  W.  Hulse,  company  D  ;  R.  S. 
Thompson,  company  E;  Jackson  D.  Thornton,  com 
pany  G  ;  Charles*  H.  Snedeker,  company  H  ;  Charles 
A.  Hannaford  and  Isaac  R.  Hughes,  company  I ;  and 
Wesley  Hudgens,  company  K  ;  Corporals,  James  Con 
stant  and  William  G.  Grabendike,  company  C ;  Thomas 
Conner  and  Jacob  Warntz,  company  D  ;  Lewis  T. 
Hickok,  William  Smith  and  Job  H.  Yaggy,  company 
E  ;  Garrett  Brown  and  Frank  Steinbaugh.  company  F  ; 
and  Evan  H.  Noyes,  company  I  ;  Privates,  John  C. 
O'Conner  and  H.  M.  Van  Winkle,  company  C  ;  Joseph 
Duncan  and  John  Johnston,  company  D  ;  Herrick 
Blanchard,  Peter  Herbener,  David  J.  Leech  and  David 
Magee.  company  F  ;  Uriah  Clark,  company  G  ;  Horace 
N.  Drake,  company  H  ;  G.  Miles  Colwell,  Bud  Good- 
ing  and  J.  M.  Morgan,  company  I  ;  and  B.  C.  Bartlett, 
principal  musician. 

The  letter    given  to    the  above  members  was  as  fol 
lows  : 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  415 

• '  To  any  Gospel  Church,  and  the  People  of  God  whrmer 
this  may  come  ;   Greeting  : 

"This  may    certify  that     Brother has 

been  a  member  in  good  standing  of  the  Regimental 
Christian  Union  of  the  I24th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  has 
so  demeaned  himself  by  a  'well-ordered  life  and  a  godly 
conversation, '  as  to  secure  the  confidence  of  his  brethren 
in  Christ,  and  the  approval  of  his  comrades  in  arms. 
He  has  maintained  his  integrity,  and  the  cause  of  Christ 
has  not  been  'evil  spoken  of  on  his  account. 

"We  therefore  recommend  him  to  the  confidence  and 
fellowship  of  the  saints,  wherever  his  lot  in  life  may  be 
cast,  praying  the  blessing  of  God  to  rest  richly  upon 
him. 

"Done  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  Regimental  Christian 
Union,  Montgomery,  Alabama,  July  /th,  1865. 

"R.  S.  THOMPSON,  Clerk" 

The  letters  were  not  all  issued  at  Montgomery,  and 
the  work  was  not  finished  and  the  church  d'sbanded  till 
after  our  last  sermon  on  the  "Ida  Handy,"  when  going 
up  the  Mississippi  towards  1  ome.  Then  and  not  till 
then  did  we  say  our  farewells  as  brethren,  feeling  that 
the  days  of  our  sweet  fellowship  together,  and  pleasant 
relations  in  Christ  were  numbered  below,  but  pledging 
each  other  so  still  to  fight  God's  battles,  as  to  meet 
again  at  the  roll-call  of  the  grand  army  above. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  it  should  be  further  said, 
that  our  subscription  for  reading  during  the  last  year  of 
our  service,  included,  for  Chicago  Tribune,  $16.25  ; 


416  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

Harpers'  Weekly,  $19  ;  Northwestern  and  Quarterly 
Reviews,  $6.25  ;  Brownlow's  Wliig,  $3.00;  and  sun 
dry  other  papers  not  in  the  former  list,  $4.00 ;  while 
only  the  New  York  Tribune  and  Cincinnati  Commercial, 
one  copy  each,  had  been  discontinued. 

And  the  Chaplain  would  gratefully  put  on  record  his 
sense  of  the  invaluable  aid  rendered  him  by  Captains 
Field  and  Newland  in  all  his  efforts  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  the  regiment.  Never  for  a  moment,  in  any 
work,  did  he  lack  for  their  sympathy  and  efficient  co 
operation. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  417 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


MEDICAL. 

Introduction. — Camp     Butler. — Dr.    Reece. — Dr.    Bucher. — Surgeon 
Angell. — Allaire   and  Murray. — Assistant  Surgeon  Kay.— Running 

narrative. Dr.      Jassoy. — Raymond. — Champion      Hills.— Inside 

Vicksburg. — A  word  of  praise. — Extracts  from  Allaire. — Resigna 
tion  of  Dr.  Angell. — Dr.  Kay  promoted.— Dr.  Jassoy  dismissed. — 
Died,  killed  and  discharged. — No  reason  to  complain  of  our  medical 
department. — Kay  and  Allaire. 


IT  WAS  DESIGNED  to  have  this  chapter  of  our 
history  written  by  some  one  connected  with  the 
medical  department,  and  after  Dr.  Kay  declined,  C.  B. 
Allaire,  our  Hospital  Steward,  undertook  the  task.  But 
a  press  of  business  prevented  him  from  completing  it, 
and,  at  last,  it  was  left  for  the  same  pe.n  that  has  pre 
pared  the  rest  of  the  work,  utterly  incompetent  as  the 
result  may  prove  it  to  have  been.  Copious  extracts 
from  what  Allaire  has  written,  it  is  hoped,  will  measur 
ably  redeem  the  effort,  and  if  it  were  possible,  all  of  his 
valuable  paper  should  appear,  as  it  contains  critical 
matter  upon  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  volunteer 


418  HISTORY  OF  THE 


forces,  and  the  medical  practice  in  the  army,  which  is 
deserving  of  general  attention.  The  limits  of  the  work 
alone  forbid  its  insertion. 

Upon  soldiers  going  into  camp,  all  those  habits  of 
life  upon  which  good  health  so  largely  depends,  are 
necessarily  broken  up.  Regularity  in  diet  and  rest  at 
home,  gave  way  to  a  regularity  —  if  such  it  can  be 
called  —  of  quite  another  kind,  in  which  the  night  upon 
duty  alternates  with  the  uncertain  doings  of  the  day,  and 
no  adequate  provision  can  be  made  for  that  protection 
from  the  weather  and  security  in  sleep,  which  are  essential 
to  average  health.  The  amount  of  exercise  taken, 
almost  invariably  is  changed,  whether  the  soldier  be 
from  the  walks  of  an  active  or  a  sedentary  life,  while 
between  the  efforts  at  becoming  accustomed  to  the 
"hard  tack"  and  grease  of  the  regular  rations,  and  the 
gorgings,  when  half  starved,  upon  the  "goodies"  furn 
ished  from  contiguous  homes,  the  experience  of  soldiers 
before  leaving  their  own  State  is  apt  to  be  quite  as  trying 
as  that  at  any  other  period  of  their  service,  even  when 
their  camp  is  healthy.  But  when  to  the  inevitable  is 
added  the  malarious  character  of  such  a  locality  as  Camp 
Butler,  lying  on  the  banks  of  the  sluggish  Sangamon,  in 
the  most  unhealthy  season  of  the  year,  with  the  grounds 
over-crowded  by  thousands,  all  novices  in  the  art  of 
camp  cleanliness,  and  for  some  days  a  horde  of  rebel 
prisoners  in  their  midst,  it  should  not  seem  astonishing 
that  disease  developed  rapidly  among  us,  coming  as 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  419 

many  of  us  did  from  northern  portions  of  the  State. 
Almost  from  the  very  first  men  began  to  sicken  and  to 
die.  We  had  scarcely  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  com 
missary  before  we  needed  to  make  that  of  a  Surgeon. 

But  Surgeon,  we  had  none ;  and  so  our  sick  were 
sent  inside  the  stockade  to  report  to  Surgeon  Reece — 
brother  of  Quartermaster  Reece — then  on  duty  as  Post 
Surgeon,  who  kindly  volunteered  to  prescribe  for  them, 
and  when  necessary  admitted  them  to  the  Post  Hospital. 
But  this  could  not  possibly  continue  long.  Other  regi 
ments  were  in  a  similar  condition,  and  the  demand  upon 
one  man,  however  willing  and  able,  was  too  great  to  be 
honored. 

At  this  critical  juncture  it  was  found  that  we  had  a 
medical  practitioner  among  us  in  the  person  of  Charles 
A.  Bucher,  of  company  B,  and  on  the  nth  of  Septem 
ber,  he  was  detailed  by  Colonel  Fonda,  commanding 
Post,  as  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon,  and  assigned  to  duty 
in  our  regiment.  He  immediately  entered  upon  the  dis 
charge  of  his  duties,  and  had  the  entire  care  of  our  sick 
in  camp  for  nearly  a  month  of  this  most  trying  period  in 
our  history.  He  proved  himself  to  be  the  right  man 
in  the  right  place  ;  and,  by  his  efforts  for  the  sick,  and 
advice  to  the  well,  rendered  us  invaluable  service. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  Dr.  L.  H.  Angell,  of  Aurora, 
joined  the  regiment  as  its  Surgeon,  and  immediately  as 
sumed  the  responsibilities  of  his  office,  though  Dr. 
Bucher  superintended  the  removals  of  our  sick  to  the 


420  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2zj.TH 


Post  Hospital,  and  otherwise  disposed  of  all  those  who 
were  unable  to  travel,  upon  our  starting  for  the  front, 
October  6th. 

Owing  to  the  patriotism  of  Dr.  Bucher,  which  had 
led  him  to  enter  the  service  as  a  private,  and  the  skill 
with  which  he  had  filled  the  higher  post  when  called 
upon,  it  was  reasonably  expected  and  hoped  by  his 
friends,  who  were  many,  that  he  would  be  commissioned 
Assistant  Surgeon.  But  Surgeon  Angell  was  not  favor 
able  to  such  a  move,  from  some  considerations  of  prac 
tice,  therefore  the  Doctor  quietly  passed  into  hospital 
service  under  the  new  administration,  and  in  the  Feb 
ruary  following  procured  a  discharge,  to  be  subsequently 
appointed  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  /2d  Illinois,  and 
serve  in  that  capacity  with  honor  to  himself  to  the  close 
of  the  war. 

Surgeon  Angell  proved  to  be  very  capable  and  effi 
cient.  Blunt,  outspoken  and  absolute,  oftentimes  to  an 
extreme,  he  was  still  warm-hearted  and  sympathetic, 
and  while  the  "play-offs"  were  most  roundly  berated  by 
him,  the  really  sick  knew  he  was  their  competent  friend, 
and  valued- him  accordingly.  He  was  especially  skillful 
as  a  Surgeon,  as  was  afterwards  proved,  and  a  man  of 
indomitable  energy  and  large  executive  ability. 

He  immediately  organized  his  department  with  Charles 
B.  Allaire,  of  company  H,  Hospital  Steward,  and  Wil 
liam  T.  Murray,  of  the  same  company,  in  charge  of  the 
medicine  wagon,  and  secured  the  necessary  details  of 
nurses,  cook  and  teamsters  for  efficient  Hospital  service 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  421 

in  the  field.  Upon  going  into  our  first  camp  in  Dixie, 
at  Jackson,  Tennessee,  with  our  beautiful  new  tents, 
conspicuous  near  them  was  our  Hospital  tent  with  the 
yellow  flag  flying  over  it.  and  surrounded  by  all  that 
was  necessary  to  a  medical  headquarters,  constituting  a 
sort  of  standing  invitation  to  every  one  in  the  regiment 
to  be  sick  for  the  sake  of  an  entry  there. 

And  a  great  many  were  sick.  The  seeds  of  disease  at 
Camp  Butler  had  been  sown  too  surely  to  be  eradicated 
by  travel,  and  they  speedily  germinated  in  the  farther 
south  to  which  we  had  come,  so  that  in  a  few  days  our 
Hospital  was  full  to  overflowing.  The  prevailing  dis 
eases  were  dysentery  and  fevers,  and  of  the  latter  many 
cases  were  typhoid. 

While  at  Jackson,  Dr.  James  R.  Kay,  of  Liberty, 
Illinois,  reached  us  with  the  rank  of  1st  Assistant  Sur 
geon,  and  was  thenceforth  identified  with  our  regiment. 
When  we  moved  from  Jackson,  all  of  our  sick,  num 
bering  about  fifty,  were  left  in  his  hands,  Surgeon 
Angell  going  with  us  on  our  campaign.  Of  that  num 
ber,  our  loss  by  death,  was  only  eight,  but  many  others 
went  from  there  to  general  hospitals  who  never  re 
turned  to  service.  If  they  survived  their  initiation  it 
was  with  ruined  constitutions,  which  compelled  an  ulti 
mate  discharge  for  disability. 

The  same  causes  operated  at  Lagrangc,  Memphis, 
and  in  Louisiana,  as  has  been  alreadv  stated  in  the 


422  HISTORY  OF  THE 


body  of  the  history,  each  region  taking  large  toll  of  the 
brave  men  who  had  ventured  all  for  their  country. 
Fifty  more  of  our  number  died  before  we  really  entered 
upon  the  Vicksburg  campaign.  Of  these,  eight  died  at 
Lagrange,  one  at  Oxford,  twenty-three  at  Memphis, 
nine  at  Lake  Providence,  and  the  rest  in  northern  hos 
pitals,  or  on  sick  furlough. 

At  Lagrange  the  men  began  to  take  more  pains  with 
their  beds,  the  idea  that  lying  on  the  ground  was  con 
ducive  to  health,  having  been  pretty  well  exploded  by 
the  prevalence  of  the  fall  rains,  and  the  increase  of  rheu 
matic  difficulties.  But  floors  and  bunks  could  not 
always  be  had,  even  at  a  Surgeon's  order,  and  especially 
during  our  changes  along  the  Memphis  &  Charleston 
Railroad,  in  January,  1863,  when  the  snow  was  so  deep 
and  the  cold  so  severe.  And  but  few  had  rubber 
blankets,  there  having  been  no  opportunity  to  procure 
them  since  their  use  became  so  well  known,  so  that  not 
all  could  be  done  that  was  desirable  in  the  direction  of 
our  sleeping  until  after  we  reached  Memphis. 

And  we  also  made  some  progress  in  other  sanitary 
respects,  which  became  preservative  to  the  partially  well, 
if  not  actually  restorative  to  the  sick,  which  served  to 
check  the  inroads  of  disease  in  many  still  on  duty,  and 
tone  up  the  systems  of  the  convalescent. 

Another  change  among  us  was  pretty  effectually 
wrought  by  the  severities  of  our  first  winter  in  the  ser 
vice,  in  weeding  out  a  large  per  cent,  of  the  faint-hearted 
and  weak-willed,  who  lacked  the  strength  of  character  to 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  423 

repel  disease  and  triumph  over  difficulties,  so  that  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  those  who  moved  from  Milliken's 
Bend  in  April,  were  physical  stalwarts,  who  could  snap 
their  fingers  in  the  face  of  most  diseases,  while  the  others 
had  been  discharged  for  disability,  were  still  in  hospitals 
somewhere,  or  had  obtained  positions  on  detached  ser 
vice  less  trying  to  their  constitutions  than  exposure  in 
the  field.  Not  that  all  on  such  service  were  of  that 
character,  by  any  means,  for  very  many  had  been  sought 
for  their  peculiar  qualifications  for  certain  duties,  who 
would  have  preferred  the  front.  But  where  such  posts 
were  attainable  by  those  who  had  made  up  their  minds 
that  they  could  not  stand  so  much  exposure,  they  inva 
riably  secured  them  at  every  hazard. 

Our  period  of  homesickness,  too,  was  largely  over  by 
the  summer  of  1863,  so  that  we  had  but  little  more  to 
suffer  from  that.  It  had  doubtless  killed  some,  but 
having  survived  its  first  attacks  the  subsequent  ones 
were  comparatively  harmless. 

At  Memphis,  in  January,  1863,  Dr.  John  Jassoy,  of 
Aurora,  reached  us  as  2d  Assistant  Surgeon,  his  muster 
dating  the  2ist.  He  immediately  went  upon  duty  at 
Surgeon's  call,  the  others  caring  for  the  Hospital,  and 
assisting  in  the  general  work  in  the  city.  Nearly  all  of 
those  whom  we  lost  in  Memphis  died  after  being  trans 
ferred  to  general  hospitals. 

Nothing  deserving  of  especial  notice  in  this  chapter 
occurred  during  our  stay  in  Louisiana.  When  we 
crossed  the  Mississippi  at  Bruinsburg,  and  moved  on 


424  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2 


Port  Gibson,  our  hospital  remained  behind  at  Hard 
Times  Landing  on  the  river,  nearly  opposite  Grand 
Gulf.  There  our  sick  were  sent  as  long  as  we  kept 
communication  open  to  the  rear,  Capt.  Potter,  who  was 
wounded  at  Thompson's  Hill,  and  Capt.  Tenney,  whose 
health  failed  in  our  advance,  finding  an  asylum  there. 
But  when  we  cut  loose  from  below  and  swung  around, 
via.  Jackson  and  Champion  Hills,  to  a  new  base  above 
Vicksburg,  our  hospital  followed  us,  and  Allaire  came 
up  with  it  on  the  I7th  of  May,  joining  us  at  Big  Black, 
after  inarching  sixty-seven  miles  in  three  days  without 
losing  a  patient. 

At  Raymond,  Dr.  Kay  was  left  in  charge  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  of  our  Division,  whom  he  moved  into  the 
village,  where  they  were  all  captured  by  /a  rebel  regi 
ment  from  Kentucky,  raised,  as  the  Doctor  says,  near 
Hopkinsville,  his  old  home.  But  he  took  no  pains  to 
awaken  old  recollections,  or  inquire  for  acquaintances. 
Some  few  of  those  able  to  move  were  hurried  off  to  Con 
federate  prisions,  but  the  greater  number  were  only  pa 
roled,  including  all  belonging  to  our  regiment,  most  of 
whom  were  ultimately  sent  to  parole  camp  at  St.  Louis, 
where  they  were  detained  some  months  before  an  ex 
change  was  effected. 

At  Champion  Hills,  Surgeon  Angell  had  charge  of 
our  Division  Hospital  and  rendered  good  service.  But 
being  so  near  Vicksburg  and  our  new  base  on  the  Ya- 
zoo,  the  wounded  were  soon  moved  and  mostly  sent  up 
the  river,  the  surgeon  returning  again  to  his  old  post 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  425 

with  the  regiment,  where  he  remained  during  the  siege. 
Upon  Dr.  Kay's  joining  us  from  Raymond,  which  he 
did  very  early  in  the  siege,  he  took  charge  of  our  Di 
vision  Hospital  till  relieved  by  Surgeon  Hill,  of  one  of 
the  Ohio  regiments,  who  was  afterwards  in  charge  of 
Hospital  No.  2.  in  the  city,  as  many  of  our  sick  boys 
have  occasion  to  remember.  Dr.  Kay  remained  on 
duty  under  him  until  after  the  surrender. 

As  the  siege  progressed  our  severely  wounded  were 
removed  immediately  to  the  Division  Hospital,  which 
was  nearly  two  miles  away,  and  it  was  there  that  George 
Grabendike  and  George  W.  Lanham  of  company  C, 
Jacob  Raper  of  company  D,  and  John  J.  Smith  of  com 
pany  E,  died  of  wounds  received  in  the  ''  slaughter  pen" 
on  the  26th  of  June.  Only  one  of  our  wounded  died  in 
the  regimental  hospital,  namely,  Nelson  Phillips  of  com 
pany  C.  He  was  only  slightly  wounded  in  the  face, 
and  died  of  erysipelas,  which  soon  set  in. 

A  part  of  the  time  Dr.  Jassoy  was  with  us,  but  oftener 
on  duty  elsewhere.  Having  three  surgeons,  if  a  bat 
tery  needed  assistance,  a  refugee's  camp,  or  some  other 
regiment,  we  were  called  upon  for  a  detail.  And  later, 
small-pox  hospitals,  prisons,  freedmen  and  everything 
else,  for  which  surgeons  were  needed,  were  largely  sup 
plied  from  our  medical  staff. 

Immediately  after  the  surrender  our  regimental  Hos 
pital  assumed  greater  proportions  than  ever  before  or 
after.  A  favorable  locality  was  selected  near  our  sec 
ond  camp,  especial  reference  being  had  to  good  water  and 


426  HISTORY  OF  THE 


pure  air,  and  everything  was  done  that  was  possible  for 
the  comfort  and  speedy  convalesence  of  our  sick,  whose 
numbers,  already  large,  were  fearfully  increasing.  The 
malarial  fever  which  had  begun  its  inroads  before  the 
siege  terminated,  and  taken  off  Guy,  Hodges  and  Rude, 
was  threatening  us  all.  Oman,  Steele,  Miller,  Allison, 
Robertson  and  Shaw  soon  fell  victims.  Several  others 
were  put  on  Hospital  boats  and  started  north  only  to 
die.  Some  were  discharged  who  did  not  live  to  get 
home,  and  a  feeling  of  apprehension  and  gloom  became 
very  general  among  the  men.  Under  these  circum 
stances  it  was  of  the  highest  importance  that  our  Sur 
geon  and  Hospital  attaches  should  be  the  right  men  in 
the  right  places.  And  they  evidently  were.  While 
every  nerve  was  exerted  for  the  good  of  the  sick,  and 
their  treatment  was  the  very  best  the  service  could  com 
mand  and  human  skill  furnish,  the  manner  in  which  the 
apprehensions  of  the  men  were  met,  and  their  fears  al 
layed  by  Surgeon  Angell,  was  masterful  and  potent. 
Suffering  himself  from  the  encroachments  of  disease, 
under  which  he  sank  only  a  few  months  later,  and  often 
sorely  tried  by  the  thousand  things  that  were  inevitable 
to  his  position  and  surroundings,  he  appears  to-day,  as 
we  look  back  through  more  than  sixteen  years  upon  him, 
as  the  incarnation  of  hope  and  confidence  which  went 
far  to  reinspire  us  all,  and  a  mine  of  unfailing  resources 
and  energy  more  needful  to  us  just  then,  than  all  the 
Major-Generals  in  the  service.  And  he  succeeded  in 
imparting  so  much  of  his  spirit  and  courage  to  all  con 
nected  with  the  Hospital,  that  light  beamed  out  of  its 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  427 

darkness,  and  new  life  sprung  up  in  the  presence  of  its 
dead.  Whatever  it  might  have  been  at  some  times,  a 
Hospital  detail  was  no  easy,  or  "soft  thing, "  during  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1863,  and  so  well  did  all  acquit 
themselves  that  we  have  as  great  reason  to  be  proud  of 
our  medical  department  in  the  time  of  our  greatest  need, 
as  we  have  of  any  other  in  our  regiment. 

The  magnitude  of  the  service  rendered  is  made  further 
apparent  by  the  statement  in  Allaire's  diary,  of  Septem 
ber  24th,  that  up  to  that  time,  as  shown  by  the  report 
books,  there  had  been  nine  hundred  and  fifty-five  cases 
treated.  While  this  necessarily  includes  several  men 
more  than  once,  or  it  may  be  twice,  it  in  no  instance  in 
cludes  the  same  attack  of  sickness  twice.  If  a  pa 
tient  was  in  the  hospital  weeks  at  a  time,  it  was  but 
once.  But  if  he  was  discharged  as  cured,  and  subse 
quently  re-entered,  it  was  counted  a  new  case. 

July  9th,  Dr.  Jassoy  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  Con 
federate  Hospital  in  the  city,  and  about  the  same  time 
Dr.  Kay  was  detailed  to  the  /th  Missouri,  where  he  re 
mained  till  the  sickly  season  was  well  over,  when  he 
was  assigned  to  Hospital  No.  2,  under  Dr.  Hill  again. 

Some  extracts  from  a  paper  written  by  Hospital  Stew 
ard  Allaire  are  here  given,  which  will  commend  them 
selves  to  the  good  sense  of  all. 

"  As  a  rule  patients  did  not  like  to  be  sent  to  a  Gen 
eral  Hospital,  prefering  to  take  their  chances  for  recov 
ery  where  they  were,  to  separation  from  their  comrades, 


428  HISTORY  OF  THE 


and  the  possibility  of  being  left  out  of  the  coming  cam 
paign.  As  a  matter  of  history,  however,  I  must  say 
that  there  were  exceptions  to  this  rule.  We  almost  al 
ways  had  in  the  regiment  one  or  more  patients  who 
were  "playing  off,"  as  it  was  termed,  and  it  may  seem 
paradoxical  to  assert  that  such  cases  were  the  most  in 
curable,  and  if  they  did  not  get  a  discharge  from  the 
service,  the  most  fatal  cases  we  had  to  treat.  They  al 
ways  came  to  ''Surgeon's  call,"  and  with  faces  as  long 
and  wretched  as  it  was  possible  to  make  them.  When 
asked  by  the  Surgeon  how  they  felt,  their  replies  were 
always  of  a  discouraging  character,  and  assumed  a  few 
stereotyped  forms,  as  'I'm  powerful  weak  this  mornin,' 
or  ''bout  the  same,'  or  'I  think  I'm  a  little  worse.' 
When  a  case  of  this  kind  had  been  on  hand  some  time, 
the  Captain  of  the  company  to  which  the  man  belonged 
would  drop  in  and  ask  the  Doctor  if  he  didn't  think  that 
man  had  better  have  a  discharge. 

This  was  a  question  the  Surgeon  knew  he  would  have 
to  answer  sooner  or  later.  To  say,  yes,  was  to  give 
direct  encouragement  to  others  to  pursue  the  same 
course,  and  thus  very  materially  weaken  and  impair  the 
efficiency  of  the  service.  To  say,  no,  the  Surgeon  knew 
would  surely  cost  the  man's  life.  Such  cases  were, 
whenever  practicable,  sent  to  a  General  Hospital  and  re 
ceived  their  discharges  from  there.  By  this  mode  of 
dealing  with  them  the  moral  effect  upon  other  men  was 
gained.  They  were  lost  sight  of  by  their  comrades,  and 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  429 


if  discharged  it  would  not    be  known  in  the    regiment, 
perhaps  for  months. 

Right  here  may  be  as  good  a  place  as  any  to  say,  that 
the  medical  department  of  our  regiment  never  had  the 
affection  and  respect  of  the  men  in  the  ranks.  This  feel 
ing  extended  even  to  the  nurses  and  teamsters.  Every 
body  about  the  Hospital  was  supposed  to  have  a  "good 
time, "  more  comforts  and  fewer  dangers.  It  may  not  be 
too  strong  an  expression  to  say,  we  were  all  cordially 
hated.  I  do  not  blame  any  one  for  holding  these  views. 
Had  I  been  in  the  ranks,  I  should  have  been  of  the  same 
opinion.  And  yet,  among  the  nurses  especially — I  wish 
I  could  remember  all  their  names — we  had  some  of  the 
most  self-sacrificing,  kind-hearted  men  I  ever  knew  in 
my  life.  They  never  spared  themselves  if  they  could 
add  in  any  way  to  the  comfort  of  a  fellow  soldier.  I 
have  known  them  to  carry  some  man's  gun,  or  knap 
sack,  or  blaakets  all  day,  their  own  being  among  the 
Hospital  baggage.  In  camp  they  were  always  watch 
ful  and  attentive  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  Such 
men  were  John  C.  O'Connor,  Jacob  Messmore,  David 
J.  Leech  and  some  others  whose  kind  deeds  I  shall  never 
forget,  but  whose  names  I  cannot  recall, 

*  *  While  perhaps  kind  words  were  not  wasted 
upon  the  ailing  ones,  I  do  not  remember  an  instanse 
where  the  comforts  or  delicacies  provided  by  the  gov 
ernment  or  friends  at  home  were  diverted  from  their  in 
tended  purpose.  If  the  supply  was  ample,  as  was  al 
ways  the  case  at  posts  and  depots  of  supplies,  they  were 


430  HISTORY  OF  THE   124/111 

used  occasianally  in  the  Hospital  mess,  but  as  a  rule,  so 
far  as  the  mess  was  concerned,  Hospital  attendants  fared 
no  better  than  common  soldiers.  In  the  field  this  was 
always  the  case.  But  when  there  were  no  sick  to  be 
cared  for  on  the  march,  we  usually  had  cots  to  sleep  on, 
plenty  of  blankets,  tents,  and  a  full  supply  of  cooking 
utensils,  which  the  common  soldier  did  not  have,  and 
were  exempt  from  all  kinds  of  camp  duty,  therefore  we 
were  regarded  as  a  privileged  class." 

Speaking  of  the  transformation  from  citizens  to  sol 
diers  at  the  first,  and  the  sickness  that  followed,  he 
says : 

"We  soon  accumulated  a  full  supply  of  patients,  as 
can  readily  be  imagined  would  naturally  result  from 
taking  a  large  body  of  men  from  the  regular  diet  and 
habits  of  their  homes,  and  placing  them  in  the  open  air, 
with  nothing  to  do  and  plenty  to  eat,  each  having  the 
idea  that  to  be  a  perfect  soldier  he  must  disregard  all 
the  natural  laws  of  health,  live  and  be  as  filthy  as  possi 
ble.  These  ideas  were  imbibed  from  the  old  troops 
with  whom  we  were  then  for  the  first  time  thrown  in 
contact.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  the  good 
sense  of  our  men  soon  prevailed,  and  ever  after  each 
provided  himself  with  as  many  comforts  as  possible,  and 
found  satisfaction  and  health  in  cleanliness,  regular 
habits,  and  well  cooked  food." 

"It  was  thought  strange  by  many  soldiers,  that  at 
Surgeon's  daily  morning  call,  when  the  sick  in  camp 
reported  for  treatment,  so  many  should  receive  exactly 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  431 

the  same  prescription,  or  medicine.  This  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  a  large  body  of  men,  each  fed  on  ex 
actly  the  same  articles  of  diet,  with  the  variations  of 
good  and  bad  cooking,  all  clothed  and  sheltered  alike, 
and  exposed  to  the  same  influences  of  weather  and 
water,  all  rising  and  retiring  at  about  the  same  hour, 
and  having  as  nearly  as  possible  the  same  amount  of 
exercise,  would  naturally,  aside  from  constitutional  pre 
disposition,  be  subject  to  the  same  diseases.  And  yet, 
in  the  ingratitude  of  the  human  heart,  I  believe  many 
of  these  poor  fellows  thought  themselves  ill-treated  be 
cause  they  received  the  same  as  others,  suffering  from 
the  same  trouble." 

"I  want  to  make  a  suggestion  here  to  the  Surgeon 
General  in  the  next  war.  It  is  this,  that  in  some  way 
knowledge  shall  be  imparted  to  every  soldier  in  the 
army  in  regard  to  the  common  laws  of  health  and  the 
care  of  the  body.  Make  it  incumbent  upon  the  Surgeon 
of  each  regiment,  that  he  shall  appear  on  dress-parade, 
at  least  once  or  twice  a  month,  and  instruct  the  men 
orally  in  regard  to  these  matters,  dealing  with  them  as 
they  present  themselves  at  the  time.  If  upon  a  march, 
and  the  diet  has  been  changed,  that  should  receive 
attention,  and  instructions  be  given  in  regard  to  the 
mode  of  cooking,  etc.  In  this  way  thousands  of  lives 
and  millions  of  money  could  be  saved  in  every  cam 
paign.  Many  men  would  take  much  better  care  of 
themselves  if  they  only  knew  how.  Many,  it  is  true, 


432  HISTORY  OF  THE  i2/|.TH 

would  not,  but  if  only  one  life  should  be  saved  to  its 
country  and  friends,  I  think  any  Surgeon  should  feel 
amply  repaid." 

"In  receiving  supplies  from  the  Sanitary  and  Chris 
tian  Commissions,  we  frequently  found  letters  pinned  to 
the  articles  sent,  written  by  the  fair  donors,  desiring  to 
hear  from  the  recipients  of  their  kindness,  and  know 
where  their  favors  went,  when  and  how  they  were  used, 
etc.  A  great  many  of  these  were  answered,  and  in 
that  way  very  pleasant  correspondences  began.  We 
always  felt  that  the  least  we  could  do  in  return  for  the 
weary  and  persistent  labor  of  those  kind  friends  at 
home,  who  worked  so  unremittingly  for  our  comfort, 
was  to  let  them  know  that  the  supplies  reached  those 
for  whom  they  were  intended,  and  now  that  we  look 
back  it  seems  marvellous  that  so  much  should  have  been 
done  for  the  comfort  of  the  soldiers  at  the  front,  with 
out  the  knowledge  of  the  donors  as  to  whether  their 
munificence  was  well  expended  or  wasted.  So  much  by 
faith,  and  for  the  love  of  our  fellow  men." 

"It  was  surprising  where  so  many  boards  came  from, 
as  we  used  in  our  floors,  bunks,  etc.,  but  it  should  be 
remembered  that  we  had  no  use  for  fences,  out-build 
ings,  cotton-gin  houses,  and  the  like,  and  I  have  even 
known  of  houses  being  burnt  to  get  the  nails." 

"A  favorite  dish  was  prepared  as  follows:  A  piece 
of  bacon  was  fried  to  a  crisp  in  the  pan,  and  all  the 
grease  carefully  saved.  While  this  was  being  done,  a 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  433 

few  pieces  of  "hard  tack"  were  slightly  moistened  in 
cold  water,  the  meat  was  taken  out  of  the  pan,  and  the 
crackers  put  into  the  hot  grease,  where  they  were  fried 
till  nearly  all  the  water  was  driven  off,  and  the  crackers 
saturated  with  lard.  A  little  salt  and  pepper  were 
added,  and  if  the  coffee  had  been  put  on  to  boil  at  the 
proper  time,  the  meal  was  ready.  It  must  be  confessed 
that  it  was  not  bad  to  eat ;  not  half  so  bad  as  it  was  to 
digest.  Probably  almost  any  person  in  perfect  health 
could  stand  a  meal  of  this  kind  once  in  a  while,  but  if  I 
had  a  valuable  ostrich,  I  should  not  like  to  risk  such  a 
diet  on  him  as  a  regular  thing." 

"I  don't  remember  now  just  how  it  happened,  but 
at  the  siege  of  Spanish  Fort,  on  Mobile  Bay,  I  was  left 
in  charge  of  the  medical  department  of  the  regiment. 
We  were  all  burrowed  in  the  ground  to  protect  ourselves 
from  the  shells  of  the  enemy,  and  had  no  place  for  the 
sick  or  wounded,  they  being  sent  each  day  to  the  gen 
eral  hospital.  It  was  probably  not  considered  necessary 
that  I  should  have  a  cook  to  prepare  my  meals,  and  so 
I  prepared  them  myself,  according  to  the  recipe  given 
above.  I  was  in  perfect  health  at  the  beginning  of  this 
course  of  diet,  but  in  a  week  I  began  to  feel  the  results, 
and  am  satisfied  that  I  should  have  been  a  patient  in  the 
Hospital  in  another  week.  But  the  enemy  kindly 
vacated  and  let  us  in,  and  I  very  gladly  gave  up  the 
culinary  department." 

"When  stationed  at  a  post  or  in  camp  for  any  length 
of  time,  we  had  the  privilege  of  creating  a  Hospital 


434  HISTORY  OF  THE 


fund  with  the  Division  or  Post  Commissary.  Each 
month  the  value  of  a  ration  was  computed.  We  were 
entitled  to  draw  rations  for  all  in  the  Hospital,  patients, 
nurses,  and  all  alike.  Of  course  the  sick  could  not  eat 
a  full  ration,  and  the  Hospital  Steward  was  allowed  to 
draw  the  money  in  lieu  of  the  rations  not  drawn.  With 
this  money  were  purchased  butter,  ice,  condensed  milk, 
vegetables,  and  such  articles  as  could  be  obtained.  If 
we  could  have  bought  at  reasonable  prices,  quite  an 
addition  could  have  been  made  to  our  bill  of  fare,  but 
prices  were  usually  so  high  that  very  little  benefit  was 
derived  from  the  fund,  though  sometimes  as  high  as  two 
hundred  dollars  was  thus  accumulated  in  a  month.  We 
were  obliged  to  make  returns  to  the  proper  authorities, 
of  the  amount  of  the  fund,  and  also  of  the  use  made  of 
it,  with  the  necessary  vouchers.  In  this  way  the  gov 
ernment  did  all  it  could  for  the  comfort  of  the  sick  and 
wounded. 

"At  times  between  campaigns,  soldiers  sick  and  not 
likely  to  be  fit  for  duty  within  thirty  days,  were  granted 
furloughs  for  that  time.  In  this  way  thousands  of  lives 
were  saved.  It  was  really  astonishing  what  transforma 
tions  took  place  in  the  physical  condition  of  many 
patients  in  so  short  a  time.  They  came  back,  without 
exception,  greatly  improved,  many  of  them  almost  be 
yond  recognition." 

"The  fitness  of  men  for  duty  was  always  a  'bone  of 
contention/  and  it  was  a  very  common  practice  for  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  435 

Orderly   Sergeant  or   Company  Commander,  to  excuse 
men  who  were  not  excused  by  the  Surgeon. 

"Men  frequently  complained  of  being  sick  when  the 
duty  was  particularly  arduous  or  dangerous,  and  on  the 
other  hand  many  brave  men  were  known  to  report 
themselves  and  insist  upon  doing  duty  at  such  times 
when  they  were  totally  unfit  for  it. 

"The  number  reported  each  morning  would  v'ary  from 
five  to  fifty,  these  being  all  cases  that  could  be  treated 
in  company  quarters,  by  reporting  themselves  daily. 
When  a  man  became  so  sick  that  the  presence  of  a  Sur 
geon  was  necessary,  he  was  sent  to  the  Regimental 
Hospital,  as  the  men  were  never  visited  in  their  own 
quarters  except  in  case  of  an  emergency." 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1864,  Dr.  Angell's  health  having 
entirely  failed,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  the 
service.  For  several  months  he  had  tried  to  resign, 
knowing  that  he  could  be  of  very  little  further  use,  and 
that  he  owed  it  to  himself  to  seek  the  rest  and  quiet  of 
home.  But  for  some  reason  his  resignation  was  not  ac 
cepted,  and  at  last  he  demanded  and  obtained  a  full 
discharge.  » 

Dr.  Kay  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Surgeon  from 
the  same  date,  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  was  with  the  regi 
ment  from  that  time  to  its  muster-out  in  1865.  Dr. 
Jassoy  was  dismissed  the  service  the  i/th  of  November 
following,  and  the  vacancy  never  was  filled. 


436  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™* 


An  examination  of  the  Adjutant  General's  Report  of 
the  State  of  Illinois,  gives  the  following  statistics,  bear 
ing  upon  the  medical  history  of  our  regiment : 

The  number  discharged  for  disability,  including 
wounds,  was  140,  divided  very  evenly  between  the  com 
panies,  A  and  B  losing  17  each,  which  were  the  highest, 
and  E,  I  and  K,  12  each,  which  were  the  lowest.  The 
number  killed  in  action  was  18,  D,  E  and  G  losing  one 
each,  the  lowest,  and  H  losing  four,  which  was  the  high 
est.  The  loss  by  death  other  than  killed  in  action,  was 
154,  of  which  K  lost  29,  which  was  the  highest  number, 
F  20,  the  next  highest,  while  H  and  I  were  the  lowest, 
losing  ten  each.  The  total  loss  was  312.  Of  the  deaths 
23  were  caused  by  wounds,  as  specified  in  the  report, 
and  four  occurred  in  the  enemies  hands  or  after  ex 
change.  There  were  also  41  transferred  to  the  Invalid 
and  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  five  were  absent  sick 
at  the  muster-out  of  the  regiment.  Of  officers  we  lost 
by  death  only  three,  namely,  1st  Lieut.  Thomas  J. 
Willian,  of  company  K,  who  died  at  Cotton  Hill,  Illi 
nois,  Nov.  5th,  1862,  having  never  gone  to  the  front ; 
1st  Lieut  Julius  A.  Pratt,  of  company  A,  who  was 
killed  at  Vicksburg,  June  26th,  1863  ;  and  1st  Lieut. 
Granville  A.  Spear,  of  company  H,  who  died  at  Mem 
phis,  October  3Oth,  1864.  The  total,  as  above  is  361, 
which  is  exclusive  of  resignations  of  officers,  and  dis 
charges  for  causes  other  than  disability.  The  grand 
total  would  be  considerably  over  400. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  437 

From  a  careful  perusal  of  the  foregoing,  with  its  facts 
and  figures,  it  is  thought  even  the  most  prejudiced  sol 
diers  in  the  regiment — those  who  were  sure  they  had 
the  most  reason  to  complain  of  their  treatment — will 
unite  in  saying  we  had  no  cause  to  complain  of  our 
Medical  Department.  Alive  to  the  welfare  of  the  men, 
and  anxious  to  promote  their  health  and  efficiency 
through  proper  diet  and  cleanliness,  as  well  as  through 
care  and  prescriptions  when  sick,  our  Surgeons  and 
their  aids  were  as  justly  entitled  to  the  honors  attaching 
to  our  name  as  the  "Excelsior"  regiment  as  any  others, 
and  in  their  way  contributed  as  largely  to  win  them. 
Never  did  our  Hospital  in  any  sense  fall  below  our 
proud  record  in  other  things,  though  submitted  to  the 
severest  tests,  and  those  who  used  to  make  merry  at  the 
morning  call,  as  Bartlett  and  Merrill  played  it,  singing 
through  the  camp  to  the  music  of  the  fife  : 

"  Go  to  the  Doctor  to  get  your  quinine, 
Go  to  the  Doctor  and  get  your  pills, " 

would  to-day  be  found  among  its  warmest  defenders  and 
friends.  Even  the  broken  speech  of  Dr.  Jassoy,  who, 
the  boys  averred,  when  he  asked  them  to  show  their 
tongues,  used  to  say  some  curious  things,  has  a 
ring  of  ability  in  it,  and  comes  down  from  those  years 
to  his  credit  instead  of  otherwise.  The  laughter  of 
those  days  has  been  long  since  hushed  in  the  sorrow 
that  he  and  Dr.  Angell  come  no  more  with  us.  The 
latter  died  at  Camp  Chase,  in  Ohio,  about  the  close  of 


438  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rH 

the  war,   and  Dr.  Jassoy  passed  away  at  his  home,  No 
vember  2 1st,    1876. 

Dr.  Kay  is  now  a  physician  in  good  practice  at  Bush- 
nell,  Illinois,  and  Hospital  Steward  Allaire  is  a  manufac 
turing  pharmacist  at  Peoria,  achieving  for  himself  the 
success  his  energy  and  ability  deserve. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  439 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 

Officers  at  muster-out.  —  The  few  unchanged.  —  Our  music.  —  Nye  and 
Matthews.  —  "Judge"  Austin.  —  Postmasters.  —  Hospital  Stewards  to 
spare.  —  Mexican  war  veteran.  —  Logan's  letter  at  Memphis.  —  Fort 

•  Hill  detail.  —  Spangler.  —  Leggett's  letter  to  Adj't  Gen.  Fuller.-—  Mc- 
Pherson's  ditto.—  Desertions.—  Reflections.  —  One  story  more. 


ROSTER  of  our  commissioned  officers,  as  mus- 
J^    tered  out  at  Camp   Douglas,  Chicago,  August   15, 
1865,  (those  promoted  not  having  been  mustered,    be 
cause  the  regiment  was  below  the   minimum  number,) 
was  as  follows  : 

Lieut.  Col.,  J.  H.  Howe. 
Quartermaster,  A.  N.  Reece. 
Surgeon,  J.  R.  Kay. 
Chaplain,  R.  L.  Howard. 

Company  A  —  Captain,      E.  C.  Raymond. 
1st  Lieut.  D.  Ames  Bigelow. 
2d  Lieut.  Warren  F.  Dodge. 


440  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

Company  B — Captain,      Edwin  F.  Stafford, 
ist  Lieut.  F.  C.  Van  Vlack. 
2d  Lieut.  C.  H.  Keller. 

Company  C — Captain,     Henry  L.  Field, 
ist  Lieut.  Lewis  Dorian. 
2d  Lieut.  John  L.  C.  Richards. 

Company  D — Captain,      Abraham  Newland. 
ist  Lieut.  Henry  J.  Brockway. 
2d  Lieut.  Thomas  P.  Price. 

Company  E — Captain,      Reese  L.  Merriman. 

ist  Lieut.  William  H.  Anderson, 

Company  F — Captain,      Norman  H.  Pratt, 
ist  Lieut.  Enoch  W.  Taylor. 
2d  Lieut.  Edward  R.  Breckons. 

Company  G — Captain,      Benton  Pratt. 

ist  Lieut.  John  W.  Mosby. 
2d  Lieut.  William  B.  Day. 

Company  H — Captain,     John  W.  Kendall. 

ist  Lieut.  Freeman  B.  Campbell. 

Company  I  — Captain,      Benjamin  A.  Griffith, 
ist  Lieut.  Joel  H.  Hasten. 
2d  Lieut.  James  M.  Griffith. 

Company  K — Captain,     Stephen  N.  Sanders, 
ist  Lieut.  Hiram  H.  Hall. 
2d  Lieut.  John  B.  Mabry. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  441 


Harvey  B.  Powers,  of  company  E,  and  George  M. 
Cronk,  of  company  H,  held  commissions  as  2d  Lieuten 
ants,  but  not  having  been  mustered  in  as  such,  they 
were  mustered  out  as  Sergeants. 

Maj.  Adin  Mann  was  absent  on  detached  service,  and 
was  not  mustered  out  with  the  regiment. 

Adjutant  Wm.  E.  Smith  had  been  discharged  the  I5th 
of  May  previous,  he  being  north  on  leave,  wounded, 
and  the  return  of  the  regiment  being  so  near. 

A  comparison  of  this  roster  with  the  one  of  Septem 
ber  loth,  1862.  will  show  four  names  unchanged,  to-wit, 
those  of  Lieut.  Col.  Howe,  Quartermaster  Reece,  and 
Captains  Field  and  Kendall.  But  of  these  all  had  been 
virtually  changed,  save  one.  Lieut.  Col.  Howe  had 
been  commissioned  Colonel,  and  brevetted  Brig.  Gen 
eral  ;  Capt.  Field  had  been  commissioned  Major,  when 
Maj.  Mann  was  commissioned  Lieut.  Colonel,  and  had 
acted  as  such  for  some  time,  while  Capt.  Kendall  had 
gone  into  camp  as  1st  Lieutenant,  and  had  been  promo 
ted  when  Capt.  Pattison  was  elected  Major. 

Therefore,  of  all  our  field  and  line  officers,  Quarter 
master  A.  N.  Reece  was  the  only  one  mustered  out  Au 
gust  1 5th,  1865,  without  any  change  since  going  into 
camp  at  the  first,  and  he  not  for  lack  of  opportunity  and 
invitation  for  promotion,  had  he  consented  to  leave  the 
regiment. 

Of  our  non-commissioned  officers,  Preston  B.  Durley, 
Q.  M.  Serg't,  and  Charles  B.  Allaire,  Hospital  Steward, 


442  HISTORY  OF  THE 


on  the  staff,  and  four  duty  Sergeants  and  three  Cor 
porals  in  the  line,  were  all  that  served  the  whole  time 
through  unchanged.  The  Sergeants  were  Jas.  S.  Stone, 
of  A  ;  C.  M.  Cassatt,  of  C,  and  Leonard  Mitchelson 
and  George  S.  Green,  of  F,  while  John  Butterwick,  of 
A,  and  Garrett  Brown  and  Chester  B.  Vail,  of  F,  were 
the  Corporals,  making  a  grand  total  of  ten  officers  to 
whom  the  service  had  brought  no  changes.  Ten  out  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-three,  or  one  in  seventeen. 
Of  the  changes,  seventeen  Sergeants  had  been  promo 
ted  to  Lieutenants,  and  two  to  Captains,  while  one  Cor 
poral  and  two  privates  had  received  2d  Lieutenant's 
commissions.  From  the  non-commissioned  staff  there 
had  been  but  one  actual  promotion,  that  of  Sergeant 
Major  Richards  to  be  2d  Lieutenant  in  company  C,  and 
who  was  in  command  of  that  company  for  nearly  a  year, 
while  the  Captain  was  acting  Major,  and  the  1st  Lieuten 
ant  detached.  Sergeant  Major  Wharton  had  been  com 
missioned  1st  Lieutenant,  to  fill  the  vacant  Adjutancy, 
but  had  not  been  mustered. 

Our  music  deserves  a  word  of  mention.  We  were 
mustered  with  sixteen  musicians,  seven  companies  hav 
ing  two  each,  and  only  one  company  —  F  —  having  none. 
But  of  that  number  only  three  were  really  efficient,  and 
two  of  them.  Joseph  E.  Merrill,  of  company  H,  drum 
mer,  and  B.  C.  Bartlett,  of  company  C,  fifer,  were  made 
Principal  Musicians.  The  rest  were  musicians  in  em 
bryo.  Our  first  efforts  at  dress  parade  were  somewhat 
amusing,  when  they  reached  the  musical  feature,  and  as* 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  443 

for  reveille  or  tattoo,  we  could  not  think  of  indulging  in 
any  such  luxuries.  We  very  well  remember  one  day  at 
Camp  Butler,  when,  for  some  reason,  Merrill  and  Bart- 
lett  were  absent  and  there  was  no  fifer,  Adj't.  Smith 
labored  long  to  induce  the  three  or  four  drummers  who 
were  present  to  ''beat  off"  in  front  of  the  regiment.  At 
last  he  succeeded,  only  to  be  mortified  by  their  breaking 
down  before  they  had  gone  half  the  length  of  the  line. 

But  such  a  state  of  things  could  not  continue  long, 
and  under  the  instruction  of  the  Principal  Musicians,  B. 
C.  Bartlett  and  Merrill,  proficiency  came  rapidly  into 
pleasant  notice.  Some  changes  were  made.  A  bright 
little  boy,  of  company  B,  whose  name  we  have  forgot 
ten,  went  home  sick,  and  was  soon  discharged.  Charles 
H.  Burrows,  of  company  C,  became  bass  drummer,  and 
Wm.  H.  Bartlett,  of  company  C,  and  John  Vining,  of 
company  A,  were  pressed  into  service  as  fifers,  who  had 
not  been  enlisted  as  musicians.  Carr,  King,  Pinney, 
Swafford,  Smirl  and  Sill,  learned  to  drum,  and  we  soon 
had  a  field  band  of  ten,  of  which  any  regiment  might 
well  be  proud.  One  which  could  not  be  broken  up,  or 
rendered  inefficient  as  long  as  a  fifer  and  drummer  re 
mained.  Beher,  of  company  H,  was  discharged  in  Jan 
uary,  1864,  for  promotion  as  Chief  Bugler  in  a  cavalry 
regiment,  and  Pinney,  of  company  E,  for  promotion  as 
Hospital  Steward,  but  the  rest  of  the  efficient  regimental 
band  remained  to  the  close  of  the  war,  and  came  home 
with  the  regiment.  Even  to-day  do  we  tread  a  little 
more  firmly,  and  unconsciously  drop  into  the  swinging 


444  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

step  of  the  olden  time,  as  we  think  of  the  stirring  strains 
that  used  to  rest  us  on  our  weary  marches,  when 
"Dixie."  well  played,  helped  to  put  down  the  rebellion, 
and  our  band,  like  our  muskets,  wrought  its  share  in 
the  glorious  work. 

Of  Commissary  Sergeants,  we  had  two.  The  first 
was  James  A.  Nye,  of  company  F,  who  served  the  regi 
ment  in  that  capacity  long  and  faithfully,  and  will  be 
held  in  lasting  remembrance  as  our  cracker  man.  His 
conscientious  fairness  and  firmness  won  for  him  the  con 
fidence  of  all,  both  in  the  regiment  and  out  of  it.  Being 
somewhat  grave  and  particular,  and  a  little  advanced  in 
years,  he  received  the  sobriquet  of  "Pap  Nye,"  and 
will  be  affectionately  spoken  of  as  such  as  long  as  there 
are  survivors  of  the  "Hundred  and  two  dozen."  But 
he  at  last  became  weary  of  the  burdens  of  his  position, 
which  called  for  a  great  many  extra  hours,  and  had  its 
peculiar  responsibilities  and  vexations,  and  asked  to  be 
relieved  and  returned  to  his  company,  which  was  done, 
and  Ambrose  Mathews,  of  company  A,  appointed  in 
his  place.  He  served  in  that  capacity  for  the  rest  of  our 
time,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 

Another  institution  in  our  regiment  was  Erastus 
Austin,  first  duty  Sergeant  of  company  F.  He  was  a 
very  large  and  fine  looking  man,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
grey,  which  caused  him  to  be  called  "Judge,"  and  such 
was  his  bearing  that  most  of  those  unacquainted  with  him 
till  they  met  him  in  the  regiment,  supposed  him  to  have 
been  a  dispenser  of  justice  in  some  capacity  before  he 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  445 

entered  the  service.  With  us,  however,  he  became  a 
dispenser  of  cartridges,  and  as  Ordnance  Sergernt  found 
a  position  all  were  glad  to  see  him  fill,  and  where  he 
could  be  quite  as  useful  as  in  the  line,  for  which  his 
weight  and  years  had  apparently  disqualified  him.  But 
upon  the  promotion  of  Breckons  to  a  Lieutenancy  in 
December,  1864,  the  "Judge"  came  down  from  his 
wagon  and  was  on  hand  for  his  place  as  Orderly  Ser 
geant,  which  he  filled  till  the  muster-out  of  the  regi 
ment,  apparently  as  little  inconvenienced  by  the  change 
as  many  a  lighter  and  younger  man. 

While  we  are  remembering  the  non-combatants,  the 
Postmaster  should  not  be  forgotten.  Among  all  the 
friends  of  the  soldier  none  were  more  anxiously  watched 
for  than  he.  None  were  interrogated  oftener,  "Have 
you  a  mail?"  ''Why  don't  you  get  a  mail?"  or 
"When  do  you  think  we  shall  have  mail?"  were  ques 
tions  he  had  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  from  one  end  of 
the  regiment  to  the  other  nearly  every  time  he  ap 
peared,  and  answer  till  his  tongue  was  tired.  He  was 
supposed  to  know  all  about  the  delays,  whether  by 
land  or  water,  and  his  oft  repeated  al  don't  know,"  was 
sometimes  accounted  scarcely  honest.  Our  first  Post 
master  was  James  H.  Pinney,  of  company  A,  who 
served  as  such  till  sometime  during  the  Vicksburg  cam 
paign,  when  Albert  Gibbs,  of  company  D,  was  ap 
pointed,  and  served  as  such  to  the  close  of  the  war.  Our 
longest  and  last  remembrances  are  with  him.  and 
through  his  faithful  hands  for  months  the  outgoing  and 


446  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


incoming  streams  of  loving  correspondence  flowed  with 
out  a  break,  gladdening  us  and  lighting  up  the  northern 
homes  where  the  dear  ones  dwelt. 

Different  companies  were  distinguished  in  the  service 
for  different  things,  as  company  B  for  the  tenacity  with 
which  it  hung  together,  only  one  man  in  the  company 
having  sought  or  taken  a  transfer  to  the  Veteran  Reserve 
or  Invalid  Corps,  and  he  being  absent  when  he  did  it. 
Company  H  was  distinguished  for  receiving  no  recruits, 
when  the  other  companies  received  many,  only  two 
being  accredited  to  it  during  the  war,  and  yet  it  seemed 
to  have  nearly  as  full  ranks  as  the  rest.  It  had  the 
usual  number  of  deceased  and  discharged,  and  the  larg 
est  number  of  killed  in  action.  It  had  furnished  its 
quota  to  other  organizations,  including  the  Veteran  Re 
serve  Corps  and  the  Colored  service,  and  in  addition  had 
given  three  Hospital  Stewards  to  the  Regular  Army, 
namely,  Henry  E.  Daniels,  George  S.  Prindle  and  Mel- 
vin  Tarble.  But  it  probably  had  fewer  men  on  detached 
service,  and  fewer  sick,  which  would  account  for  its 
large  number  always  present  for  duty.  It  was  also  the 
young  mens'  company  in  the  regiment,  nearly  all  its 
members,  with  its  officers,  after  the  first  year,  being 
single  men.  At  muster-out  there  were  not  a  dozen  mar 
ried  men  in  the  company. 

A  quiet,  unobtrusive  private  in  company  G,  always  at 
his  post  and  ready  for  duty,  which  he  discharged  in  a 
manner  at  once  easy  and  perfect,  proves  to  have  been  a 
real  veteran,  though  it  was  known  to  but  few  at  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  447 

time.  And  he  was  abundantly  qualified  both  by  native 
talent  and  previous  discipline  to  command  us  all  where 
he  obeyed  so  well.  His  name  was  Jackson  D.  Thorn 
ton,  and  he  had  served  through  the  Mexican  war,  in 
Capt.  Pemberton's  company,  in  the  7th  Regulars,  and 
a  subsequent  term  of  enlistment  in  the  U.  S.  Marines, 
on  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  in  suppressing  the  slave 
trade.  His  soldierly  qualities  were  soon  recognized  in 
his  company,  and  he  was  appointed  Sergeant,  to  fill  the 
first  vacancy. 

The  following  letter,  kindly  furnished  by  Color  Serg't. 
Wesley  S.  Stokes,  of  company  I,  explains  itself,  and 
pours  a  flood  of  historic  light  upon  the  darkness  of  the 
winter  of  1862  and  1863  : 

<( HEADQUARTERS  30    DIVISION, 

I7TH  ARMY  CORPS, 
MEMPHIS,  TENN.,  Feb.  I2th,  1863. 

"My  Fellow- Soldiers  : 

"Debility  from  recent  illness  has  prevented  and  still 
prevents  me  from  appearing  amongst  you  as  has  been 
my  custom  and  is  my  desire.  It  is  for  this  cause  I  deem 
it  my  duty  to  communicate  with  you  now,  and  give  you 
the  assurance  that  your  General  still  maintains  unshaken 
confidence  in  your  patriotism  and  devotion,  and  in  the 
ultimate  success  of  our  glorious  cause. 

'T  am  aware  that  influences  of  the  most  discouraging 
and  treasonable  character,  well  calculated  and  designed 
to  render  you  dissatisfied,  have  recently  been  brought 


448  HISTORY  OF  THE 


to  bear  upon  some  of  you  by  professed  friends.  News 
papers  containing  treasonable  articles,  artfully  falsifying 
the  public  sentiment  at  your  homes,  have  been  circu 
lated  in  your  camps. 

'  'Intriguing  political  tricksters,  demagogues  and  time- 
servers,  whose  corrupt  deeds  are  but  a  faint  reflex  of 
their  more  corrupt  hearts,  seem  determined  to  drive  our 
people  to  anarchy  and  destruction.  They  have  hoped 
by  magnifying  the  reverses  of  our  arms,  basely  misrep 
resenting  the  conduct  and  slandering  the  character  of 
our  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  boldly  denouncing  the  acts 
of  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  government  as  un 
constitutional  usurpations,  to  produce  general  demorali 
zation  in  the  army,  and  thereby  reap  their  political 
reward  —  to  weaken  the  cause  we  have  espoused,  and  aid 
those  arch  traitors  of  the  south  to  dismember  our  mighty 
Republic,  and  trail  in  the  dust  the  emblem  of  our 
National  unity,  greatness  and  glory. 

"Let  me  remind  you,  my  countrymen,  that  we  are 
soldiers  of  the  Federal  Union,  armed  for  the  preserva 
tion  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  the  maintenance  of 
its  laws  and  authority.  Upon  your  faithfulness  and 
devotion,  heroism  and  gallantry,  depends  its  perpetuity. 
To  us  has  been  committed  this  sacred  inheritance,  bap 
tized  in  the  blood  of  our  fathers.  We  are  soldiers  of  a 
government  that  has  always  blessed  us  with  prosperity 
and  happiness.  It  has  given  to  every  American  citizen 
the  largest  freedom  and  the  most  perfect  equality  of 
rights  and  privileges.  It  has  afforded  us  security  in 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  449 

person  and  property,  and  blessed  us  till  under  its  bene 
ficent  influence  we  were  the  proudest  Nation  on  earth. 

"We  should  be  united  in  our  efforts  to  put  down  a 
rebellion  that  now,  like  an  earthquake,  rocks  the  Nation 
from  State  to  State,  and  from  centre  to  circumference, 
and  threatens  to  engulf  us  all  in  one  common  ruin,  the 
horrors  of  which  no  pen  can  portray.  We  have  sol 
emnly  sworn  to  bear  true  faith  to  this  government, 
preserve  its  constitution,  and  defend  its  glorious  flag 
against  all  its  enemies  and  opposers.  To  our  hands 
have  been  committed  the  liberties,  the  prosperity  and 
the  happiness  of  future  generations.  Shall  we  betray 
such  a  trust  ?  Shall  the  brilliance  of  your  past  achieve 
ments  be  dimmed  and  tarnished  by  hesitation,  discord 
and  dissension,  while  armed  traitors  menace  you  in  front, 
and  unarmed  traitors  intrigue  against  you  in  the  rear  ? 

"We  are  in  no  way  responsible  for  any  action  of  the 
civil  authorities.  We  constitute  the  military  arm  of  the 
government.  That  the  civil  power  is  threatened  and 
attempted  to  be  paralyzed,  is  the  reason  for  a  resort  to 
military.  To  aid  the  civil  authorities  in  the  exercise  ot 
their  authority — not  to  oppose  or  obstruct — is  our  office. 
And  shall  we  forget  this  duty,  and  stop  to  wrangle  and 
dispute  over  this  or  that  political  act  or  measure,  while 
the  country  is  bleeding  at  every  pore,  while  a  fearful 
wail  of  anguish  wrung  from  the  heart  of  a  distracted 
people  is  borne  upon  every  breeze,  and  widows  and 
orphans  are  appealing  to  us  to  avenge  the  loss  of  their 
loved  ones,  who  have  fallen  by  our  side  in  defense  of 


450  HISTORY  OF  THE 


the  old,  blood-stained  banner,  and  while  the  Temple  of 
Liberty  itself  is  being  shaken  to  its  base  by  the  ruthless 
blows  of  traitors,  who  have  desecrated  our  flag,  ob 
structed  our  National  highways,  destroyed  our  peace, 
desolated  our  firesides,  and  draped  thousands  of  homes 
in  mourning? 

"Let  us  stand  firm  at  our  posts  of  duty  and  of  honor, 
yielding  a  cheerful  obedience  to  all  orders  from  our  supe 
riors  until  by  our  united  efforts  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
shall  be  planted  in  every  city,  town  and  hamlet  of  the 
rebellious  States.  We  can  then  return  to  our  homes  and 
through  the  ballot-box  peacefully  redress  all  our  wrongs, 
if  any  we  have. 

"While  I  rely  upon  you  with  confidence  and  pride,  I 
blush  to  confess  that  recently  some  of  those  who  were 
once  our  comrades  in  arms,  have  so  far  forgotten  their 
honor,  their  oaths  and  their  country,  as  to  shamefully 
desert  us.  and  skulkingly  make  their  way  to  their  homes, 
where,  like  culprits,  they  dare  not  look  an  honest 
man  in  the  face.  Disgrace  and  ignominy — if  they 
escape  the  penalty  of  the  law — will  not  only  follow 
them  to  their  dishonored  graves,  but  will  stamp  their 
names  and  lineage  with  infamy  to  the  latest  generation. 
The  scorn  and  contempt  of  every  true  man  will  ever 
follow  tl'ose  base  men.  who,  forgetful  of  their  oaths, 
have,  like  cowardly  spaniels,  deserted  their  comrades 
in  arms  in  the  face  of  the  foe,  and  their  country  in  the 
hour  of  its  greatest  peril.  Every  true-hearted  mother 
or  father,  brother,  sister  or  wife,  will  spurn  the  coward 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  451 


who  could  thus  not  only  disgrace  himself,  but  his  name 
and  his  kindred.  An  indelible  stamp  of  infamy  should 
be  branded  upon  his  cheek,  that  all  who  look  upon  his 
vile  countenance  may  feel  for  him  the  contempt  his 
cowardice  merits.  Could  I  believe  that  such  conduct 
found  either  justification  or  excuse  in  your  hearts,  or 
that  you  would  for  a  moment  falter  in  our  glorious  pur 
pose  of  saving  the  Nation  from  threatened  wreck  and 
hopeless  ruin,  I  would  invoke  from  Deity  as  the  great 
est  boon,  a  common  grave  to  save  us  from  such  infamy 
and  disgrace. 

"The  day  is  not  far  distant  when  traitors  and  cowards 
north  and  south  will  cower  before  the  indignation  of 
an  outraged  people.  March  bravely  onward;  nerve 
your  strong  arms  to  the  task  of  overthrowing  every  ob 
stacle  in  the  pathway  of  victory,  until,  with  shouts  of 
triumph  the  last  gun  is  fired  that  proclaims  us  a  united 
people,  under  the  old  flag  and  one  government.  Patriot 
soldiers,  this  great  work  accomplished,  the  reward  for 
such  service  will  be  realized;  the  blessings  and  honors 
of  a  grateful  people  will  be  yours. 

"JOHN  A.    LOGAN, 

Brig.  Gen.  Commanding. " 

It  was  not  fully  stated  in  the  body  of  the  history  that 
our  regiment  furnished  most  of  the  miners  under  Fort 
Hill,  but  such  was  the  case,  and  as  it  was  a  work  of 
more  than  usual  hardship  and  peril,  it  is  due  to  the  brave 
men  who  had  it  in  charge  to  make  especial  mention  of 
the  fact.  In  companies  A,  D,  F  and  I,  were  a  large 


452  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

number  of  miners  from  the  coal  fields  near  Kewanee  and 
Colchester.  But  as  A  was  detached  it  furnished  no  de 
tails  for  fatigue  during  the  siege,  and  D,  F  and  I  were 
entitled  to  the  credit.  The  45th  Illinois  supplied  the 
rest,  and  it  will  please  all  who  wrought  so  arduously  there 
to  know  that  their  work  is  not  forgotten. 

The  following  statement,  by  Capt.  B.  A.  Griffith,  of 
company  I,  is  of  interest  as  showing  how  closely  we 
were  related  to  the  rebellion  at  the  outset,  and  how  our 
magnanimity  and  forbearance  were  even  then  abused : 

"In  regard  to  Spangler,  he  came  into  McDonough 
county  from  Missouri  just  after  the  war  commenced, 
and  told  me  he  had  enlisted  as  1st  Sergeant  in  company 
C,  6th  Missouri,  rebel,  and  showed  me  a  confidential 
letter  from  Claiborne  Jackson,  Governor  of  Missouri, 
authorizing  h'm  to  raise  a  regiment  for  the  confederate 
army,  with  the  promise  that  he  should  name  the  officers 
if  successful.  He  insisted  upon  my  joining  and  assist 
ing  him.  I  told  him  my  opinion  of  the  thing  plainly, 
but  promised  to  try  to  keep  the  boys  from  hanging  him 
in  their  indignation,  till  he  could  settle  up  some  business 
for  his  father,  and  get  out  of  Illinois. 

"I  next  saw  him  on  the  Big  Black  river,  when  we 
were  encamped  at  Rocky  Springs,  after  the  battle  of 
Port  Gibson.  He  told  me  he  was  A.  A.  General  on 
Gen.  Mart  Green's  staff,  and  insisted  on  our  meeting 
between  the  pickets,  which  I  declined. 

"We  met  again  on  the  field  at  Champion  Hills.  My 
wound  was  dressed  on  the  field,  but  I  afterwards  went 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  453 

back  from  the  command  to  the  Hospital.  As  I  was 
passing  where  General  Osterhaus'  division  had  been  en 
gaged,  where  the  dead  and  wounded  lay  in  piles,  I  was 
called  to  by  some  one  lying  almost  in  the  road,  with  a 
red  blanket  under  him  and  a  knapsack  for  a  pillow.  It 
was  Spangler.  He  reached  out  his  hand  and  grasped 
mine,  and  said  he  was  going  to  eat  his  supper  with 
'Stonewall  Jackson'  that  night.  He  raised  up  and  I  ex 
amined  his  wound,  which  was  just  in  the  edge  of  the 
hair  on  the  back  of  his  neck.  I  did  not  think  it  was 
dangerous,  but  he  said  he  was  dying  then.  He  asked 
me  to  send  word  to  his  people,  which  I  did.  There 
were  from  ten  to  fifteen  of  his  old  company  dead  and 
wounded  around  him.  I  stopped  as  I  returned  about 
an  hour  afterwards,  and  he  was  dead." 

The  officers  who  were  sent  home  from  the  Big  Black, 
on  recruiting  service,  in  January,  1864,  m  addition  to 
their  regular  papers,  were  furnished  with  the  following 
autogrrph  letters  to  the  Adjutant  General  of  the  State, 
to  aid  them  in  their  work,  which,  for  the  testimony  they 
bear,  are  worthy  of  being  preserved  in  our  history,  and 
one  of  them  is  perfectly  invaluable  because  of  the  fate 
of  its  writer  whom  we  loved  so  well  : 

"HEADQUARTERS    3D    DIVISION,    I/TH    A.    C., 

VICKSBURG,    Miss.,  Jan.  26th,  1864. 

"BRIG.  GEN.  A.  C.  FULLER,  Adft.  Gen.  Ills  : 

"GENERAL: — Permit  me  to  bespeak  your  especial 
attention  to  the  I24th  Illinois  Infantry  Volunteers,  and 
ask  that  facilities  may  be  offered  to  fill  its  ranks. 


454  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

"Under  the  skillful  management  of  Lieut.  Col.  Howe 
and  the  excellent  line  officers  of  the  regiment,  the  I24th 
Illinois  has  become  one  of  the  very  best  regiments 
among  the  many  good  ones  from  that  State.  In  the  old 
3d  Division,  Logan  s  old  veterans,  the  I24th  Illinois  is 
to  day  the  Excelsior  regiment,  and  carries  the  Blue  Flag 
described  in  the  enclosed  Orders  No.  4. 

"I  am,  General,  your  obedient  servant, 

"M.  D.  LEGGETT, 
Brig.    Gen.    Commanding. ' ' 

"HEADQUARTERS  17™  ARMY  CORPS, 
VICKSBURG,  Miss.,  Jan.  24th,  1864. 

"CoL.  A.  C.  FULLER, 

Adft.  Gen.  Ills.,  Springfield: 

''COLONEL:  Details  from  the  I24th  Illinois  Vol- 
untees  have  been  sent  home  to  obtain  recruits  for  the 
regiment,  and  I  trust  you  will  do  everything  you  can 
consistently  to  facilitate  their  object. 

"The  regiment,  though  one  of  the  youngest  in  the 
3d  Division  (late  Logan's)  has  won  a  proud  position  in 
my  command,  having  distinguished  itself  for  bravery 
and  gallantry  on  the  battle-field,  and  recently  carried  oft 
the  '  Prize  Banner.'  competing  fairly  with  all  the  regi 
ments  in  the  Division.  The  regimental  and  line  officers 
are  thoroughly  in  earnest,  and  well  qualified  for  their 
positions,  and  you  can  rest  assured  that  recruits  joining 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  455 

this  regiment  will  find  a  good  school  in  which  they 
can  learn  everything  appertaining  to  the  duties  of 
a  soldier. 

"Very  respectfully  your  ob't  serv't, 

"JAMES  B.    McPHERSON, 

Major  Gen.  Commanding" 

A  statement  has  already  been  made  in  the  body  of 
the  history  about  desertions,  which  puts  the  matter 
right,  so  far  as  it  goes.  But  there  is  room  for  a  few 
words  more.  Company  K  had  been  unfortunate  either 
in  the  character  or  locality  of  some  of  its  men.  Proba 
bly  the  latter,  for  two  reasons  :  First,  that  they  lived  so 
near  Springfield  that  they  were  permitted  to  go  home 
for  a  day  or  two  and  did  not  return.  Second,  that  they 
were  in  a  section  of  the  State  where  the  copperhead  in 
fluence  was  felt  the  most.  Certain  it  is,  that  out  of 
thirty-five  desertions  in  the  regiment,  eleven,  or  nearly 
one-third  are  charged  to  company  K,  six  of  whom  were 
from  its  original  ranks,  and  five  from  its  recruits.  Of 
the  six,  five  never  joined  the  company  in  the  field,  hav 
ing  gone  home  from  Camp  Butler.  Of  the  rest  of  the 
desertions,  seven  were  from  among  recruits,  and  there 
fore  had  no  bearing  upon  the  original  material  of  the 
regiment,  while  the  most  part  of  the  remainder  were 
foreigners.  Companies  B,  F  and  H  did  not  lose  a  man 
by  desertion,  which  deserves  proud  mention,  and  C  only 
one  from  its  original  number,  and  he  never  went  to  the 
front. 


456  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/1-11 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  where  they  will  be  in 
place,  if  anywhere,  a  few  remarks  may  be  indulged. 
The  record  of  the  I24th  was  in  many  respects  peculiar. 
And  while  that  record  has  been  already  brought  out  in 
these  pages,  and  the  character  of  the  regiment  faithfully 
presented,  there  are  some  things  which  even  a  careful 
perusal  of  this  history  would  fail  to  suggest.  Things 
that  for  the  most  part  a  comparison  with  other  regi 
ments  is  necessary  to  bring  out. 

Of  these  the  most  important  is  that  we  were  a  very 
fortunate,  or  a  wonderfully  favored  regiment.  While 
taking  our  places  willingly  wherever  we  were  assigned 
by  our  superior  officers,  we  were  never  but  once  in  a 
place  to  be  slaughtered,  or  where  we  suffered  any  heavy 
loss.  Other  regiments  in  our  own  brigades,  as  the  2Oth 
Illinois  at  Raymond,  the  45th  Illinois  on  the  25th  of 
June,  in  the  breach  at  Fort  Hill,  and  Col.  Dornblazer's 
at  Jackson  Cross  Roads,  suffered  far  more  heavily  than 
we.  On  the  22d  of  May,  in  front  of  Vicksburg,  we  did 
not  lose  a  man,  and  yet  we  were  under  arms  all  the  day, 
and  in  sight  of  our  comrades  of  other  regiments  who  fell 
by  hundreds.  Our  list  of  killed  in  action  and  died  of 
wounds,  forty-two  in  all,  according  to  report,  is  very 
small  for  a  regiment  exposed  as  long  as  we  were,  un 
der  fire  over  eighty  days  and  sixty  nights.  Single  com 
panies  have  lost  as  many  in  an  hour,  almost  at  a  volley. 

Again,  we  did  not  lose  an  officer  in  action.  Not  one 
was  shot  down  at  the  head  of  his  regiment  or  company. 
Colonels  and  Majors  and  Captains  fell  all  around  us. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  457 


Col.  Dollins  was  killed  on  one  side  of  us  and  Col.  Nev- 
ins  on  the  other  on  the  same  day,  while  Maj.  Cowen  fell 
in  our  front,  but  our  officers  were  untouched. 

We  were  always  on  the  winning  side.  Other  regi 
ments  had  their  reverses ;  we  had  none.  We  knew 
nothing  about  defeat  ;  and  consequently  we  were  never 
compelled  to  retreat  in  the  face  of  the  foe.  We  re 
turned  from  some  of  our  expeditions  in  Mississippi  with 
out  accomplishing  anything  worthy  of  our  efforts,  and 
with  the  enemy  dogging  us  in  the  rear,  but  whenever 
we  chose  we  held  him  at  bay,  or  drove  him  back  at  our 
pleasure.  In  every  march  made,  we  went  where  we 
started  to  go,  and  came  back  when  we  got  ready. 

We  never  lost  a  prisoner  in  action,  or  had  a  man  cap 
tured  who  was  with  the  regiment  at  the  time.  We  did 
not  lose  a  flag,  a  team,  or  a  drum,  or.  even  a  gun  when 
we  were  together. 

We  were  never  on  short  rations  but  twice,  and  scarcely 
knew  what  it  meant  then.  Real  suffering  from  want  of 
food  was  no  part  of  our  experience. 

We  were  not  only  well  fed,  but  we  were  well  clothed 
and  well  paid.  No  regiment  in  the  service  fared  better 
in  those  things  than  we.  No  regiment  in  the  army, 
east  or  west,  was  made  more  comfortable  in  the  dis 
charge  of  its  duty  for  the  same  length  of  time ;  none 
was  held  in  higher  estimation  by  its  commanding  offi 
cers,  as  far  as  we  knew,  or  obtained  more  favors  when 
it  craved  them. 


458  HISTORY  OF  THE 


It  is  true  we  were  re-organized  out  of  the  3d  Division, 
i/th  Army  Corps,  and  so  had  to  give  up  our  "Excel 
sior  Banner,"  and  did  not  go  with  Sherman'  to  Atlanta 
and  the  sea.  But  we  remained  at  Vicksburg,  and  were 
thus  spared  the  perils  and  hardships  we  coveted,  and 
many  of  our  brave  men  are  living  to-day  because  of  our 
good  fortune  in  not  having  our  own  way. 

While  we  were  a  marching  and  a  fighting  regiment, 
the  peers  of  the  best,  we  were  a  parade  regiment.  Our 
personnel  was  of  that  kind  that  unites  the  polish  and 
glitter  of  a  showy  life  with  the  depth  and  power  of  the 
higher  ;  the  garishness  of  shoulder-straps,  sashes  and 
white  gloves  in  provost  service  with  the  grime  and  blood 
that  are  born  of  the  truest  courage  and  sublimest  patriot 
ism  in  battle. 

Unlike  other  regiments  whose  record  is  a  military  one 
alone,  however  gratifying  and  brilliant,  we  were  so 
situated  and  constituted  that  we  exercised  a  potent 
political  and  social  influence.  Our  long  stay  at  Vicks 
burg.  including  the  political  campaign  of  1864.  with  our 
jubilation  upon  the  re-election  of  Lincoln,  and  our  4th 
of  July  at  Montgomery  in  1865,  are  in  point.  We 
were  not  only  military  custodians  and  a  police  force  in 
those  cities,  but  we  were  in  close  contact  with  their  lead 
ing  minds,  contributing  largely  to  the  restoration  of 
society  and  in  the  manufacture  of  public  sentiment  for 
the  coming  years.  Not  that  many  another  regiment 
from  the  Sucker  State  could  not  have  done  the  same 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  459 


had  it  been  where  we  were,  just  as  we  could  have  suf 
fered  as  some  of  them  did.  had  we  been  where  they 
were  ;  but  that  such  was  the  fortune  of  war  and  rehabili 
tation  for  us,  and  it  was  certainly  exceptional. 

And  in  all  this  experience  so  unusual,  affording  the 
amplest  opportunities  for  developement  toward  the  bad, 
through  the  unthought  of  temptations  of  a  people  long 
debauched  by  slavery  and  its  kindred  vices,  not  an  in 
stance  of  meanness,  inefficiency,  double-dealing,  dis 
loyalty  or  moral  cowardice  was  brought  home  to  us  to 
stay.  (A  little  strong,  Chaplain! — REVISER.)  We 
went  through  it  not  only  unscathed  but  a  positive 
power  for  good.  Our  officers  and  men  were  com 
petent,  loyal,  brave  and  true.  And  now,  as  we  some 
times  look  over  the  past  of  our  history,  and  at  the 
turbulent  condition  of  some  of  the  nations  of  earth,  and 
are  led  to  wonder  if  we  may  not  again  be  called  to  arms 
in  defense  of  our  own  loved  land  and  government,  not 
one  of  us  but  says,  should  we  have  to  go,  as  far  as 
those  still  living  should  render  it  possible,  we  would  go 
with  our  dear,  old,  tried  comrades  of  the  "Hundred  and 
two  dozen." 

And  there  is  scarcely  a  man  of  us  alive  but  what 
writes  his  name  "stalwart"  to-day,  as  he  hears  the  yell 
of  the  rebel  Brigadiers  in  Congress,  and  the  crack  of  the 
shot-gun  in  Yazoo  county,  Mississippi,  where  our  war 
path  used  to  lie. 

One  story  completes  this  miscellaneous  chapter,  which 
would  hardly  be  sufficiently  miscellaneous  without  it. 


460  HISTORY  OF  THE  I24TH 

The  material  is  furnished  by  Major  Mann,  and  it  is  sub 
stantially  as  follows : 

"On  the  22d  of  May,  company  B  was  detailed  for 
skirmish  duty,  and  deploying  on  the  safe  side  of  the  hill 
where  they  lay,  the  men  went  over  its  crest  in  advance 
of  the  charging  regiments.  Throwing  themselves  flat 
upon  the  ground,  and  taking  advantage  of  everything 
that  would  afford  them  shelter,  they  moved  forward  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  keeping  up  a  deadly  fire  upon  the 
enemy's  works.  As  soon  as  our  regiments  appeared 
over  the  hill,  the  whole  line  of  the  fortifications  was  a 
blaze  of  fire,  which  continued  all  the  long  day.  Gaining 
positions  as  near  as  they  could  to  the  enemy,  for  a  time 
the  skirmishers  answered  back,  comparatively  unnoticed, 
the  attention  of  the  rebels  being  directed  to  the  larger 
bodies.  But  as  the  day  wore  away  and  the  danger  from 
the  charge  was  less  imminent,  they  began  to  turn  their 
fire  upon  the  skirmishers,  and  compelled  them  to  hug 
the  ground  in  sheer  desperation,  not  daring  to  raise  a 
head  or  hand  for  hours,  as  the  first  attempt  to  do  so 
would  be  saluted  with  scores  of  bullets  at  short  range. 
Being  out  of  water,  and  the  sun  extremely  hot,  their 
suffering  became  severe,  and  the  question  of  relief  from 
it  a  vital  one.  While  in  this  condition,  just  protected 
by  a  stump  scarcely  as  thick  as  his  body,  one  of  the  men 
saw  a  lizard  near  him,  moving  among  the  grass  and 
weeds  with  the  celerity  of  its  kind,  as  though  nothing 
unusual  was  transpiring  around  it.  He  naturally  fell  to 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  461 


moralizing  upon  that  fact,  and  directly  thought  if  he 
were  only  a  lizard  how  easily  and  safely  he  could  get 
away.  For  a  moment  he  almost  envied  the  reptile,  as 
it  was  darting  back  and  forth  so  near  him,  but  the  next, 
a  ball  struck  it  and  cut  it  neatly  in  two  where  it  lay, 
and  he  then  rejoiced  in  his  manhood  and  his  protec:ing 
stump,  without  a  farther  wish  for  the  immunity  from 
danger  which  a  reptile  might  possibly  enjoy." 


462  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/rH 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


OUR  CAPTURED. 

At  Raymond. — Schoonover. — Peter  Victor. — Near  Canton,  Miss.— - 
Sayles'  narrative. --Horrors  of  Andersonville. —Final  release.-- 
Randall  and  Wilder.  — -Mallen  and  Phillips. ---Murphy  escaped.--- 
Dunning. 


AS  HAS  BEEN  stated,  we  lost  no  prisoners  from 
the  regiment  directly,  either  in  camp  or  action. 
But  some  of  our  men  were  captured  when  absent.  The 
first  instance  of  this  kind  occurred  at  Raymond,  where 
the  sick  and  wounded  left  in  charge  of  Dr.  Kay,  after 
the  battle,  were  taken  and  paroled.  Josiah  W.  Good 
win,  of  company  D.  who  died  of  wounds  received  in  the 
battle,  May  I2th,  died  a  prisoner  of  war.  But  as  none 
from  our  number  were  taken  to  rebel  prisons  at  that 
time,  we  scarcely  realized  they  had  been  captured. 

Adolphus  Schoonover,  of  company  A,  was  captured 
by  some  lurking  foe,  Aug.  i8th,  1863,  while  we  were 
on  the  Monroe  expedition.  He  was  probably  on  a  com 
missary  foray  on  his  own  account,  as  nothing  was  known 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  463 


of  the  facts  at  the  time.  He  was  reported  missing  till 
March,  1864,  when  official  intelligence  was  received  of 
his  death  while  a  prisoner  of  war,  at  Shreveport,  Lou 
isiana. 

Peter  Victor,  of  company  B,  was  captured  by  some 
party  or  parties  while  we  were  on  the  Bogue  Chitto  ex 
pedition.  October  i6th,  1863,  an<^  ms  remains  were 
found  in  a  gully  where  he  had  evidently  been  murdered 
and  stripped.  As  we  were  surrounded  by  rebels  during 
all  the  time  we  were  in  that  vicinity,  and  especially  as 
he  was  a  perfectly  harmless  and  inoffensive  man,  who 
could  not  have  been  disposed  of  in  that  way  by  our  own 
soldiers,  it  was  generally  believed  that  he  had  wandered 
too  far  from  his  command,  with  the  above  result. 

But  it  was  upon  our  return  from  the  "Meridian  raid," 
in  February,  1864,  when  lying  at  Canton,  Mississippi, 
that  our  greatest  misfortune  of  this  kind  befel  us,  as  has 
already  been  mentioned  in  its  place,  in  Chapter  14. 

Corporal  Alford  S.  Sayles,  of  company  A,  who  was 
one  of  the  captured,  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
affair,  and  his  subsequent  experience.  The  language 
has  been  varied  foV  the  sake  of  a  more  perfect  connec 
tion,  but  the  statements  are  substantially  as  he  made 
them. 

•'On  the  29th  of  February  a  scouting  expedition  was 
undertaken,  commanded  by  a  Captain  of  the  2Oth  Illi 
nois,  and  Adjutant  Smith,  of  our  regiment,  which  con 
sisted  of  forty  men,  of  whom  ten  were  from  the  1 24th,  or 


464  HISTORY  OF  THE   124x11 

one  man  from  each  company,  as  I  understood  it.  It  was 
reported  that  the  enemy's  cavalry  were  making  a  demon 
stration  between  us  and  the  Big  Black,  with  the  probable 
intention  of  capturing  our  supply  train  from  there.  We 
were  ordered  to  go  out  about  ten  miles  and  remain  till 
four  o'clock,  and  were  mounted  as  cavalry.  There  was 
considerable  of  a  scramble  in  some  of  the  companies  for 
the  privilege  of  going  upon  this  expedition,  as  it  was 
expected,  to  be  more  than  usually  enjoyable.  Our  num 
bers  were  thought  to  be  sufficiently  formidable,  we  were 
well  mounted  and  officered,  and  anticipated  a  dashing 
ride. 

We  had  done  as  directed,  and  were  returning  just  be 
fore  night,  not  having  seen  an  enemy,  and  therefore  not 
expecting  any  danger.  When  within  some  three  or  four 
miles  of  our  camp,  as  we  were  moving  along  on  a  swing 
ing  trot,  we  saw  men  on  horseback  in  the  road  ahead  of 
us,  with  blue  overcoats  on,  whom  we  took  to  be  our 
cavalry,  and  keeping  on  directly  toward  them  without 
slackening  our  pace,  we  were  saluted  with  a  volley  from 
some  of  their  party,  who  were  hidden  by  a  fence  in  a 
field.  They  had  concluded  that  when  thus  attacked  we 
would  naturally  charge  through  them  and  endeavor  to 
escape,  or  close  out  the  affair  with  the  usual  cavalry 
dash,  and  had  a  regiment  just  ahead  ready  to  receive  us. 
But  being  infantry,  we  disappointed  them  by  instantly 
dismounting,  getting  over  the  fence,  and  opening  fire 
upon  them,  partly  in  the  flank.  Surprised,  and  with 
their  plan  frustrated,  they  immediately  developed  their 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  405 

strength,  and  began  to  close  rapidly  about  us.  Seeing 
how  useless  a  contest  with  such  overwhelming  numbers 
would  be,  most  of  our  party  broke  for  the  nearest  tim 
ber,  which  was  low  and  swampy,  and  several  of  them 
succeeded  in  getting  away.  Some  were  killed  outright, 
one  being  shot  in  the  back  while  running,  who,  I  think, 
belonged  to  our  regiment.  Another  was  killed  while 
stamping  his  money  in  the  ground  after  being  taken,  and 
sixteen  in  all  were  captured. 

"The  enemy  proved  to  be  the  advance  of  Gen.  Jack 
son's  cavalry,  and  were  about  noo  strong,  under  the 
command  of  Wirt  Adams. 

"We  were  all  stripped  and  robbed  of  everything  of 
value.  I  hated  to  lose  my  boots,  which  were  nearly 
new,  but  a  Lieutenant  took  them  and  lett  me  bare 
footed. 

"Fearing  I  should  lose  my  pants,  as  others  had  done, 
which  were  also  new,  I  stooped  over,  unobserved,  and 
tore  them  up  the  legs  to  save  them. 

"We  remained  nearly  where  we  were  until  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  hearing  our  drums  beat  distinctly 
at  tattoo,  with  feelings  that  are  a  pain  to  remember. 
Some  got  a  little  sleep,  but  there  was  none  for  me.  At 
that  time  they  broke  camp  and  started  westward,  going 
about  sixteen  miles,  the  prisoners  all  being  barefooted  and 
bareheaded,  with  very  little  to  eat.  The  next  day  they 
struck  northeast  and  run  us  across  the  country  172  miles, 


466  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/1-11 

as  they  called  it,  to  Gainesville,  in  Alabama.  We  suf 
fered  greatly  on  the  way,  our  feet  being  in  a  frightful 
condition.  Sometimes  the  feeblest  of  us  were  allowed 
to  ride  for  a  little  ways. 

"From  Gainsville  we  were  taken  by  steamer  to  Ca- 
haba,  where  we  remained  about  six  weeks.  Then  they 
told  us  we  were  to  be  paroled,  and  we  felt  pretty  well 
about  it,  but  the  statement  was  only  a  refinement  of 
cruelty,  for  we  were  taken  directly  to  Andersonville, 
Georgia,  which  was  then  intended  to  be  the  great,  per 
manent  prison  pen  and  graveyard  for  the  Union  soldiers 
in  their  hands.  We  were  among  the  second  lot  that 
arrived  there,  about  5,000  having  previously  come, 
nearly  at  one  time,  from  Belle  Isle.  But  so  rapidly  did 
they  follow  us  that  on  the  3Oth  of  June,  only  about  two 
months  after  our  arrival,  there  were  33,000  men  draw 
ing  rations  within  an  enclosure  of  only  twelve  acres,  with 
two  acres  of  swamp  in  the  middle  of  that.  The  story 
of  our  exposure  and  suffering  is  a  part  of  the  fearful 
history  of  the  war,  and  need  not  be  repeated  by  me. 
I  found  my  brother-in-law  from  Iowa  among  the  prison 
ers,  and  was  with  him  when  death  kindly  put  a  period 
to  his  suffering. 

''In  July  the  authorities  evidently  became  alarmed  by 
the  result  of  their  atrocities,  and  began  to  enlarge  the 
stockade.  There  was  apparently  nothing  to  prevent 
their  doing  that  before,  except  the  disposition  on  their 
part.  If  food  was  scarce,  certainly  ground  was  not, 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  467 


and  we  might  at  least  have  had  plenty  of  room,  and 
purer  air.  But  their  efforts  were  too  late  to  be  of  much 
avail.  So  many  had  died  before  the  new  grounds  were 
opened,  that  we  scarcely  needed  them. 

"I  was  there  all  summer,  and  shared  and  saw  it  all. 
Our  forces  were  only  ninety  miles  away  at  one  time,  and 
two  divisions  of  cavalry  could  easily  have  delivered  us. 
We  did  not  blame  the  government  for  not  exchanging 
us ;  it  would  have  given  the  rebels  so  many  able-bodied 
men  in  our  places,  and  taken  us  in  our  helplessness — 
there  was  not  a  man  among  us  for  months  who  was  fit 
for  duty. 

"The  8th  of  September  they  became  alarmed  and 
commenced  to  run  us  out.  I  was  taken  away  the  I2th 
to  Charleston,  and  then  to  Florence,  South  Carolina. 
There  we  lay  in  a  field  till  they  built  a  stockade,  and 
were  nearly  starved  to  death.  Rations  for  eighteen  days 
were  three  spoonfuls  of  meal  and  two  of  beans  per  day, 
with  an  occasional  spoonful  of  molasses.  During  five 
months  in  Florence  we  drew  meat  only  once.  After  we 
got  into  the  stockade  they  gave  us  a  pint  of  meal  a  day, 
or  its  equivalent  in  beans.  Sometimes  we  had  a  trifle 
of  salt,  but  only  a  pinch.  A  spoonful  of  salt  was  worth 
as  much  as  a  pint  of  meal  among  us. 

"We  lay  there  till  Sherman  reached  Columbia.  I 
lost  the  run  of  dates  after  leaving  Andersonville.  When 
they  found  that  Sherman  was  at  Columbia,  they  began 


468  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


to  take  us  away  from  Florence.  There  were  about 
11,000  of  us  there  at  that  time,  and  the  mortality  had 
been  fearful.  We  were  first  taken  to  Wilmington,  N. 
C. ,  to  be  paroled,  so  said.  But  something  occurring, 
we  were  removed  to  Goldsborough,  and  back  into  the 
woods,  where  we  lay  two  weeks.  Our  condition  can 
neither  be  described  nor  imagined.  Then  we  were 
started  for  Wilmington  again,  this  time  to  certainly  be 
paroled.  When  within  eight  miles  of  the  place  it  was 
captured  by  our  forces  and  we  could  distinctly  hear  the 
firing  and  shouting. 

"Having  been  unloaded  from  the  train,  we  were 
hastily  put  on  board  again  and  run  back  to  Golds- 
Borough,  which  we  reached  in  the  night,  and  immedi 
ately  started  for  the  woods  once  more.  On  the  way  I 
dropped  for  the  first  time,  and  about  150  others  did  the 
same.  We  lay  where  we  fell  till  morning,  when  they 
picked  us  up,  loaded  us  into  wagons  and  took  us  to  a 
warehouse,  where  we  remained  till  we  were  paroled, 
which  was  about  two  weeks  after. 

"We  were  then  taken  to  Wilmington  by  rail,  and  I 
was  left  in  the  car  after  all  the  rest  were  removed,  prob 
ably  through  some  oversight.  I  think  I  must  have 
remained  there  nearly  an  hour,  expecting  every  moment 
some  one  would  come  after  me,  but  becoming  anxious 
about  it,  I  crawled  out  on  the  platform  of  the  car. 
Being  unable  to  see  anybody  or  anything  from  where  I 
was,  except  the  long  train  as  it  stood  on  the  curved 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  4G9 

track,  I  concluded  to  try  to  get  down,  and  accordingly 
dropped  to  the  ground.  But  I  could  not  stand,  and 
consequently  rolled  down  the  bank  about  twenty-five 
feet  into  the  swamp.  From  this  new  position  I  looked 
up  and  could  see  the  "Stars  and  Stripes"  on  the  flag-sfaff 
of  a  steamer  just  ahead.  I  never  felt  so  glad  in  my  life. 
I  picked  myself  up  and  went  up  the  bank,  as  I  would 
not  have  believed  it  possible.  I  was  received  kindly  on 
board  the  steamer  and  given  a  cup  of  coffee  and  two 
'hard  tack. '  I  really  thought  I  was  in  paradise.  In 
side  of  five  minutes  after  I  got  on  board  the  steamer  the 
train  backed  out.  I  had  just  saved  myself. 

"From  there  I  was  taken  to  Annapolis,  where  I  was 
clothed  and  given  ration,  or  commutation  money.  As 
soon  as  I  was  able  to  travel,  I  was  started  for  parole 
camp  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  going  through  Columbus, 
Ohio.  At  the  latter  place  I  had  my  first  square  meal, 
at  a  restaurant,  taking  the  whole  bill  of  fare.  From  St. 
Louis  I  obtained  a  furlough  home,  and  reached  there  in 
time  to  hear  of  the  assassination  of  our  beloved  President. 
Having  been  ordered  to  repair  to  St.  Louis  for  discharge, 
I  stopped  at  Camp  Butler  on  my  way,  and  was  finally 
discharged  from  there,  June  2/th,  1865. 

"Randall,  Wilder  and  I  were  separated  at  Anderson- 
ville,  and  I  lost  track  of  them  entirely.  They  called  me 
Corporal  while  we  were  together,  and  the  title  stuck  to 
me  all  through  my  prison  life.  I  think  one  of  our  regi 
ment  died  at  Cahaba. 


470  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 

"My  health  is  entirely  broken.  I  can  do  but  little, 
and  nothing  that  involves  any  mental  strain.  Some 
times  I  dare  not  trust  myself  to  transact  any  important 
business,  and  can  scarcely  remember  anything.  At 
other  times  when  I  have  taken  the  greatest  of  care  of 
my  exercise  and  diet,  and  do  not  read  at  all,  my  head 
seems  to  be  quite  clear.  But  at  the  best  I  am  only  a 
wreck.  One  of  the  survivors  of  the  horrors  of  Ander- 
sonville,  and  an  exhibit  of  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
rebellion." 

Of  Cyrus  W.  Randall,  of  company  E,  who  was  taken 
with  Sayles,  nothing  is  known  except  what  is  contained 
in  the  foregoing  narrative,  only  that  the  records  of 
Andersonville  state  that  he  died  there,  October  I2th, 
1864,  and  give  the  number  of  his  grave  as  10,772. 

Wallace  Wilder,  of  company  H,  another  one  of  the 
victims,  lived  to  be  exchanged,  probably  about  the 
same  time  that  Sayles  was,  and  reached  Annapolis, 
where  he  died  March  i6th,  1865. 

Samuel  Mallen  and  Edward  Phillips,  of  company  K, 
were  never  heard  from.  If  Sayles  was  right  as  to  one 
of  our  regiment  being  shot  at  the  time  the  rest  were 
taken,  and  another  one's  dying  at  Cahaba,  that  would 
account  for  them. 

George  C.  Murphy,  of  company  I,  succeeded  in 
escaping  after  being  captured,  and  returned  to  the  regi 
ment  a  few  days  subsequently,  upon  the  Big  Black. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  471 

The  rest  of  the  company  got  away  that  night,  and  came 
in  with  the  Adjutant  the  next  morning. 

While  we  were  on  the  march  from  Fish  river,  in  Ala 
bama,  to  Spanish  Fort,  Silas  W.  Dunning,  of  company 
E,  fell  into  the  hands  of  some  prowling  cavalrymen, 
and  was  detained  by  them  for  a  few  days,  suffering  but 
little  inconvenience  therefrom.  And  this  completes  the 
list  of  our  captured  as  far  as  known. 


472  HISTORY  OF  THE 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 


OUR  DEPARTED. 

SINCE  THEIR  honorable  discharge  from  the  service 
of  their  country,  by  the  muster-out  of  the  regiment, 
or  previously,  several  of  our  number  have  died,  and  our 
numbers  have  been  slowly  but  surely  thinning.  Already 
we  look  each  other  in  the  face  with  a  saddened  feeling, 
when  we  meet  from  year  to  year,  because  our  old  com 
rades  come  up  with  us  no  more,  and  because  we  remem 
ber  that  very  soon  our  places,  like  theirs,  will  be  vacant, 
and  there  will  be  none  to  fill  them.  The  youth,  the 
strength,  the  valor  of  the  old  "Hundred  and  two  dozen" 
will  have  passed  away,  and  save  in  the  Union  we  fought 
to  maintain,  and  the  liberties  and  land  we  cherished,  will 
have  left  no  trace  behind. 

As  we  think  of  the;'near  future  to  us  all,  and  of  the 
heroism  of  those  already  deceased,  we  feel  like  paying 
a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  patriotism,  courage  and  mem 
ory  of  our  departed  comrades,  as  far  as  our  information 
permits,  deeply  regretting  that  our  knowledge  is  insuffi 
cient  to  make  the  list  complete. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  473 

And  first  upon  it  must  stand  the  name  of  our  be 
loved  commander,  Brevet  Brig.  Gen.  J.  H.  HOWE,  who 
died  at  Laredo,  Texas,  April  3d,  1873  ;  and  we  believe 
the  interest  taken  in  him  by  the  brave  men  whom  he 
commanded  so  long  and  well,  demands  the  insertion  of 
the  following  obituary  and  editorial  from  the  Kewanee 
Independent : 

OBITUARY. 

"KEWANEE,  April  2ist,    1873. 

"The  funeral  of  General  John  H.  Howe  was  attended 
yesterday  at  the  Congregational  Church  in  this  place, 
by  an  immense  concourse  of  people  of  all  classes,  each 
one  eager  to  bear  some  humble  part  in  token  of  friend 
ship,  or  in  testimony  to  the  worth  of  our  honored  and 
loved  friend  and  brother,  now  gone  from  us  t6  return  no 
more.  A  very  appropriate  tribute  and  sermon  was  de 
livered  by  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Foskett^  of  Monmouth,  his 
first  Chaplain  in  the  army,  and  for  a  long  time  previous 
a  personal  friend  of  Gen.  Howe  and  his  family. 

"Gen.  John  H.  Howe  was  born  in  Riga,  Monroe 
county,  New  York,  September  I2th,  1822,  and  died  at 
Laredo,  Texas,  on  the  3d  of  April,  being  in  the  fifty-first 
year  of  his  age.  Early  in  life  he  chose  as  his  line  of  active 
service  and  duty  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  was  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar  in  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio.  From 
thence,  in  1855,  he  removed  to  this  place,  where  he 
resided  until  his  death. 


474  HISTORY  OF  THE  124/1*11 

"In  his  profession  as  a  lawyer  he  always  held  an  hon 
orable  position — not  only  as  an  able  advocate  and  coun 
selor,  but  equally  as  a  jurist,  discharging  the  duties  of 
judge  with  impartiality,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  his 
compeers  and  clients. 

"Judge  Howe  was  always  a  friend  of  the  poor,  and 
always  sought  their  welfare,  as  many  now  living  will 
testify.  He  was  largely  a  peace-maker,  advising  settle 
ment  of  differences  among  neighbors,  when  it  could  be 
without  the  surrender  of  right  and  justice.  And  thus 
he  won  his  way  to  the  confidence  and  hearts  of  his 
friends,  and  was  in  the  way  of  merited  reward  and  pop 
ularity  when  the  sky  lowered  and  the  nation's  sun  was 
overcast  by  the  war-cloud  of  rebellion.  When  treason 
was  openly  advocated  in  the  halls  of  Congress — when 
the  southern  States,  one  after  another,  declared  for 
State  rights,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  doc 
trines  and  principles  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ 
ence,  and  of  the  Union  of  these  United  States — no 
heart  was  more  grieved  and  no  voice  more  firm  and  de 
cided  than  was  his ;  and  when  they  madly,  blindly 
grasped  the  sword,  and  rallied  under  the  palmetto  in 
defiance  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  '  red,  white  and 
blue,'  the  \glorious  old  flag  of  the  Union,'  and  when  the 
boom  of  the  cannon,  and  the  shock  of  the  iron  enginery 
of  war,  felt  through  the  land,  as  Sumter's  walls  were 
battered,  told  that  the  '  Rubicon  was  past, '  that  it  was 
dismemberment  and  disunion  and  the  consequent  over 
throw  of  the  Government,  or  war  and  victory  for  its 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  475 

defense  and  the  overthrow  of  the  rebellion,  then  it  was 
that  the  love  of  home  and  friends,  and  the  advantages, 
pecuniary  and  political,  gained  by  years  of  toil  and 
strict  integrity  in  his  profession,  gave  way  before  the 
love  of  country.  The  tide  of  patriotism  that  was  roll 
ing  over  the  loyal  north  like  an  ocean  wave  driven  by 
the  tempest,  was  hailed  and  welcomed  by  our  departed 
friend  with  a  profound  determination  to  lay  at  once  upon 
his  country's  altar  his  services,  his  fortune,  and  if  need 
be,  his  life. 

"And  in  all  this  his  confiding  and  devoted  wife  was  a 
partner  and  a  conqueror,  cheering  every  one  who  could 
to  buckle  on  the  armor  of  a  soldier  in  defense  of  liberty 
and  the  Union.  And  when  the  call  came  for  300,000  more 
men,  and  then  quickly  for  300,000  more,  Judge  Howe 
was  among  the  first  to  respond.  In  his  own  office,  steps 
were  immediately  taken  and  plans  matured  for  organi 
zation,  and  on  the  pth  of  August,  1862,  his  name  was 
enrolled  with  many  others  in  this  community,  and  Sep 
tember  loth  they  were  mustered  into  the  I24th  regi 
ment  of  Illinois  Volunteers,  J.  H.  Howe  holding  the 
rank  of  Lieut.  Colonel.  They  were  soon  under  march 
ing  orders,  and  how  bravely  and  nobly  this  regiment, 
with  Col.  Howe  as  their  gallant  leader,  acted  their  part 
in  the  bloody  drama  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  the  fol 
lowing  historic  sketch  will  indicate.  ***** 

"Through  all  this  leaden  rain  of  death  the  life  of  the 
heroic  General  was  spared,  and  when  the  rebellion 
waned,  and  the  war-cloud  began  to  lift,  the  struggle 


476  HISTORY  OF  THE  124™ 


being  ended,  no  one  was  more  glad  or  joyous  than  he. 
The  country  saved  and  the  enemy  subdued,  he  was 
eager  to  lay  down  his  honors,  and  return  to  the  quiet 
prosecution  of  his  chosen  profession. 

"Of  a  generous  and  genial  nature,  Gen.  Howe  loved 
his  intimate  friends  ardently,  and  it  was  in  the  bosom  of 
society  at  home,  and  especially  of  his  family,  that  he 
was  most  honored  and  loved.  Commencing  his  public 
life  so  nearly  with  the  beginning  of  this  town,  he  at 
once  entered  heartily  into  all  its  public  improvements, 
contributing  liberally,  and  often  beyond  his  means,  for 
the  support  and  maintenance  of  all  the  public  interests 
of  the  then  new  and  rising  village.  And  we  had  fondly 
hoped  that  after  the  war  closed  he  might  here  spend  the 
rest  of  his  life  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  promotion  and 
success  which  his  talent  and  service  to  his  country  so 
richly  merited.  But  God's  ways  are  not  as  our  ways. 
Almost  immediately  on  his  return  from  the  army  it  was 
whispered  in  intimate  circles,  '  The  General  looks  bad  ; 
he  is  sick. '  These  indications  were  even  more  anxiously 
noticed  by  his  wife,  who  was  quick  to  discern  the  insid 
ious  approaches  of  disease.  Nor  were  those  alarms 
false.  Consumption  had  already  begun  its  fatal  work. 

"Still  he  was  comforted,  and  for  two  years  by  the 
appointment  of  the  President,  filled  the  office  of  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Territory  of  Wyoming,  discharging  all  the 
duties  of  this  office  with  great  acceptance  to  the  people 
and  credit  to  himself.  And  although  for  those  years  in 
tervening,  he  has  with  an  iron  will  fought  against  the 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  477 


enemy  in  ambush,  most  of  the  time  performing  active 
labor  in  his  profession,  still  the  citadel  of  life,  which  had 
come  to  be  a  besieged  fortress,  gradually  gave  way, 
until  it  was  evident  that  the  last  battle  must  soon  be 
fought,  unless  something  could  be  done  to  divert  the 
enemy. 

"Change  of  climate  was  suggested  and  plans  were 
soon  perfected,  and  by  solicitation  of  anxious  friends, 
President  Grant  gave  him  a  commission  as  secretary  to 
the  United  States  Commission  to  Mexico  and  Texas,  for 
investigating  border  difficulties.  In  this  perilous  jour 
ney,  with  all  its  anxieties,  his  excellent  wife,  by  night 
and  by  day,  was  his  companion  and  comforter.  For  a 
time  hopes  were  entertained,  and  cheerful  letters  to 
home  friends  awakened  expectations,  which  made  the 
news  of  his  rapidly  failing  health  the  more  painful. 

"At  Laredo,  Texas,  300  miles  from  railroad  commu 
nication,  in  the  very  midst  of  savage  hordes  of  Indians, 
that  have  of  late  disturbed  that  border  State,  he  halted 
in  the  march,  laid  off  his  armor,  and  after  giving  affec 
tionate  and  kind  counsel  to  his  comrades  and  to  his  wife, 
with  comforting  messages  for  his  children  whom  he 
loved  so  ardently,  and  making  several  requests  with 
reference  to  his  funeral,  he  took  the  hand  of  his  weeping 
wife,  saying,  'Don't  weep,  Julia  ;  my  time  has  come — 
I  am  ready.  I  am  at  peace  with  God  and  all  mankind,' 
and  with  a  smile  upon  his  countenance,  fell  asleep. 

"Mrs.  Howe  now  had  opportunity  for  brave  and 
heroic  action.  So  far  from  home,  300  miles  inland  from 


478  HISTORY  OF  THE   IZ/J/TH 


railroads,  and  among  savages,  what  should  be  done  ? 
Should  he  be  buried  in  a  strange  and  desolate  land  ?  It 
could  not  be.  Her  purpose  was  already  taken.  His 
dust  should  rest  in  the  'home  circle'  in  the  family  lot, 
already  sacred  to  the  memory  of  loved  ones  gone.  It 
would  make  this  notice,  already  too  long,  wearisome  to 
detail  the  incidents  of  that  lonely  journey,  a  large  part 
of  which  was  performed  in  a  government  wagon,  with 
only  a  partial  escort.  But  what  will  not  the  love  and 
heroism  of  a  noble  woman  accomplish.  It  should  be 
said,  however,  that  during  the  General's  sickness  and 
death,  and  on  the  passage  to  the  railroad  station,  the 
officers  of  the  Commission  rendered  every  possible  aid 
and  attention. 

"Mrs.  Howe  arrived  at  Kewanee  with  the  body  em 
balmed,  on  the  morning  of  the  i/th,  and  yesterday  it 
was  laid  away  for  the  resurrection,  in  the  family  lot, 
while  many  hundreds  of  soldiers  and  citizens  and  friends 
testified  by  their  presence  and  tears,  'We  are  all  mourn 
ers  to-day. ' 

"He  -leaves  behind  to  lament  his  loss,  his  devoted 
wife  and  four  children,  who  will  now  gather  up  and  cher 
ish  many,  many  precious  memories  of  the  departed. 
And  may  they  each  be  able  to  say  with  a  cheerful  sub 
mission,  'He  doeth  all  things  well,'  'Though  he  slay 
me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him. ' 

G." 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  470 

EDITORIAL— EARTH  TO  EARTH. 

"The  last  sad  tribute  of  respect  was  paid  to  the  re 
mains  of  the  late  Hon.  J.  H.  Howe,  on  Sunday,  the 
2Oth  inst. ,  by  a  large  concourse  of  friends,  many  of 
whom  came  from  neighboring  towns  and  cities  to  join 
in  the  mournful  ceremony  of  consigning  the  remains  of 
him  they  had  so  long  known  and  honored  to  their  last 
resting  place. 

''It  is  known  to  our  readers,  that  in  his  rapidly  failing 
health,  Mr.  Howe  sought  and  obtained  an  appoint 
ment  under  the  government,  whose  duties  took  him  to 
the  Mexican  frontier,  in  the  hope  that  his  health  would 
be  benefitted  by  the  mildness  of  the  climate,  and  that 
Mrs.  Howe  accompanied  him  on  what  proved  to  be  his 
last  earthly  journey.  For  a  short  time  after  reaching 
his  destination  he  seemed  to  rally,  and  was  encouraged 
to  hope  that  his  sojourn  there  would  be  attended  with 
permanent  benefit.  But,  alas,  the  hope  was  short-lived, 
and  he  died  at  Laredo,  Texas,  on  the  3d  inst.  As  soon 
as  the  necessary  preparations  could  be  made,  Mrs.  Howe 
in  charge  of  the  remains  of  her  late  husband,  accompan 
ied  by  a  military  escort,  started  for  Austin,  Texas,  a  dis 
tance  of  about  300  miles,  and  the  nearest  railroad  point. 
This  long,  tedious,  and  lonely  journey  was  safely  ac 
complished,  and  she  left  Austin  on  the  I4th,  from  which 
she  made  a  rapid  journey  home,  coming  all  the  way 
by  rail,  and  reaching  here  on  Thursday  morning, 
the  1 7th. 


480  HISTORY  OF  THE  124x11 


"The  Masonic  fraternity,  of  which  Mr.  Howe  had 
long  been  a  member,  took  charge  of  the  arrangements 
for  the  funeral,  notifying  friends,  companions  and  asso 
ciates  in  the  varied  career  of  his  public  life,  numbers  of 
whom  came  from  a  distance  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of 
respect  to  his  remains.  Many  of  the  officers  and  sol 
diers  who  served  with  and  under  him  in  the  late  war, 
were  present  and  participated  in  the  funeral  services. 

"The  Masonic  order  turned  out  in  much  greater  force 
than  on  any  former  occasion  in  this  place.  Galva  con 
tributed  a  delegation  some  forty  strong,  while  the  fra 
ternity  of  Neponset,  Princeton,  and  Galesburg  were 
represented. 

''The  procession  was  formed  at  Masonic  Hall,  and 
preceded  by  a  band  of  music,  proceeded  to  the  late  resi 
dence  of  the  deceased,  at  about  two  o'clock,  p  M.  .  from 
whence  it  moved  to  the  Congregational  Church,  where  an 
appropriate  and  impressive  discourse  was  delivered  by 
Rev.  Foskett,  and  the  usual  services  performed.  After 
the  close  of  which,  and  the  performance  of  that  portion 
of  the  Masonic  funeral  services  adapted  to  the  church,  the 
procession  was  re-formed  and  took  up  its  mournful  line 
of  march,  escorting  the  remains  of  him  who  had  so  often 
moved  with  the  throng  in  life,  to  their  final  resting  place 
in  the  silent  tomb,  to  which  they  were  consigned  with 
the  solemn  and  impressive  services  peculiar  to  the 
order. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  481 

"On  returning  to  the  Hall,  the  Lodge  of  this  place 
passed  appropriate  resolutions  of  respect  for  the  de 
ceased,  and  condolence  with  the  bereaved  family." 

Surgeon  L.  H.  ANGELL,  who  was  honorably  dis 
charged  from  the  service  for  disability,  June  1st,  1864, 
died  subsequently  at  Camp  Chase,  in  Ohio,  but  the 
time  and  circumstances  of  his  decease  are  not  known. 

Second  Assistant  Surgeon  JOHN  JASSOY,  died  at  his 
residence,  in  Aurora,  Ills.,  November  21  st,  1876. 

First  Lieutenant  WM.  H.  ANDERSON,  of  company  E, 
died  in  Texas,  January  1 5th,  1876. 

Second  Lieutenant  CHRISTOPHER  H.  KELLER,  of  com 
pany  B,  died  at  his  home,  in  Batavia,  Kane  county, 
Ills.,  August  5th,  1876.  The  following  notice  of  his 
death  is  from  the  Batavia  News,  of  August  6th  : 

"C.  H.  Keller  was  born  in  Hinsdale,  Cattaraugus, 
county,  N.  Y. ,  April  2Oth,  1840,  and  came  to  Illinois 
with  his  parents  in  the  spring  of  1844.  He  labored 
with  them  as  a  dutiful  and  faithful  son  till  in  answer  to 
the  call  of  his  country  for  defenders  in  her  hour  of  peril, 
he  enlisted  in  the  I24th  Illinois,  serving  faithfully  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  being  mustered  out  as  Lieu 
tenant.  His  comrades  in  arms  all  speak  of  him  in  the 
highest  terms  as  a  soldier  and  true  friend.  Many  of 
them  were  present  at  his  funeral,  some  coming  from  a 
long  distance.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 


482  HISTORY  OF  THE 


his  work  on  the  farm,  where  he  was  soon  called  by  the 
long  sickness  and  ultimate  death  of  his  father,  to  assume 
the  responsibilities  of  the  head  of  the  family.  His  pleas 
ant  home,  for  so  many  years  made  cheerful  by  his  pres 
ence,  now  seems  desolate.  Three  children,  a  wife, 
mother  and  grandmother,  representatives  of  four  gener 
ations,  mourn  over  his  departure.  But  they  mourn  not 
without  comfort.  Faithful  in  all  duties  and  responsi 
bilities  that  were  placed  upon  him,  though  dead  to  them 
he  is  with  that  blessed  company  that  wear  the  crown  of 
eternal  life.  " 

Second  Lieutenant  EDWARD  R.  BRECKONS,  of  company 
F,  is  also  deceased.  Being  a  coal  miner  of  long  experi 
ence  and  tried  skill  and  faithfulness,  he  was  offered  a  situ 
ation  in  Pennsylvania,  as  Superintendent  in  charge,  which 
promised  better  for  him  financially  than  anything  he 
could  command  in  Illinois.  So  he  removed  from  Kewa- 
nee,  where  he  had  previously  resided,  to  his  new  eastern 
home,  where  he  was  prospering  finely  till  an  accident 
occurred  in  the  mine  or  shaft,  by  which  he  lost  his  life. 
The  time  and  particulars  are  unknown  to  the  writer. 
but  the  fact  remains  that  another  family  is  in  mourning, 
and  another  one  of  trie  brave,  true  and  tried  officers  of  our 
noble  regiment,  who  came  home  with  us,  has  been  gath 
ered  to  his  reward,  and  we  mourn  his  loss. 

Sergeant  ASA  BUNTON,  of  company  A.  passed  away 
only  this  last  spring,  of  chronic  diarrhoea,  contracted  in 
the  army.  For  some  years  he  had  been  wasting  away, 
some  of  the  time  having  no  control  over  his  appetite 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  483 


whatever,  being  like  a  child  in  his  weakness,  in  the 
hands  of  his  friends.  At  other  times  he  would  seem  to 
rally  for  a  while,  and  a  little  hope  would  spring  up  in  the 
hearts  of  those  who  loved  him  so  well.  But  he  is  gone 
at  last.  He  was  a  brave  soldier  and  every  way  a  worthy 
man,  and  really  gave  not  three  years  alone,  but  his  life 
to  his  country. 

Principal  Musician  JOSEPH  E.  MERRILL,  formerly  of 
company  H,  is  gone  from  us.  He  was  young  and 
apparently  healthy,  and  his  early  death  was  a  surprise 
as  well  as  a  grief  to  all.  He  died  within  the  past  two 
years,  but  we  cannot  give  the  exact  time 

WALLACE  W.  BAKER,  of  company  H,  is  among  those 
we  mourn,  he  having  died  within  the  past  few  years. 
He  was  the  athlete  of  the  regiment,  and  in  many  res 
pects  a  choice  spirit,  full  of  life  and  energy.  But  while 
many  of  the  older  and  staid  linger,  his  march  below  is 
ended.  Both  of  the  above  came  home  with  us. 

First  Lieutenant  EZRA  C.  BENEDICT,  of  company  G, 
who  resigned  February  i6th,  1863,  at  Memphis,  Ten 
nessee,  has  since  died  at  his  home  in  New  Boston,  Illi 
nois.  His  health  was  never  good  after  his  short  sojourn 
in  the  south,  and  he  passed  away  greatly  beloved  and 
regretted  by  all  who  knew  him,  leaving  a  large  family  to 
mourn  a  patriot  husband  and  father's  loss. 

JAY  MARTIN,  who  was  mustered  out  of  service  Au 
gust  1 5th,  1865,  as  1st  Sergeant  of  company  G,  has 
since  died,  as  stated  by  Sergeant  J.  D.  Thornton,  but 
no  particulars  are  given. 


484  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Privates  MARTIN  KINSEMAN  and  WILLIAM  NADGE,  he 
also  reports  dead,  but  no  time  or  place,  while  Private 
HENRY  KNICKERBOCKER  died  at  Rock  Island  in  1877, 
and  DANIEL  McGRATH  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  the 
same  year — all  of  company  G,  and  who  were  mustered 
out  August  1 5th,  1865. 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  485 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


RE-UNIONS. CONCLUSION. 

SINCE  THE  CLOSE  of  the  war,  the  ''Hundred  and 
two  dozen"  has  not  been   enirely  lost   to   itself.      It 
was  the  understanding  at  the  muster-out  at  Chicago, 
that  the  loth  of  September,  the  anniversary  of  our  muster- 
iu  at  Camp  Butler,  should  be  our  re-union  day. 

Pursuant  to  that  plan,  our  first  meeting  was  held  at 
Kewanee  in  1867,  and  was  one  of  great  interest.  The 
citizens  of  that  beautiful  village  made  ready  a  lovely 
grove  for  our  reception,  spread  immense  tables,  even  to 
groaning  beneath  their  burdens,  with  the  substantiate 
and  delicacies  of  their  garden  soil,  and  welcomed  us  and 
others  by  thousands. 

The  attendance  on  the  part  of  the  regiment  was  large, 
Aurora  and  Batavia  appearing  in  their  strength,  C,  D, 
and  I  being  well  represented  ;  Tenney  and  Reece  were 
present  from  Chicago,  Chaplain  Howard  from  Michigan, 
Durley  from  Hennepin,  and  Serg't.  Major  Wharton 
drove  across  from  Millersburg. 


486  HISTORY  OF  THE 


Speeches  were  made  by  Generals  Howe  and  Carr, 
Maj.  Mann,  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Wagner,  Capt.  Newland, 
Chap.  Howard,  and  others.  The  Chaplain  sung  "Old 
Shady,"  and  "A  Thousand  Years,"  the  boys  all  joining 
in  the  chorus  as  they  did  under  the  pines  in  the  days 
gone  by,  and  Serg't.  Kent  sung  "We've  drunk  from 
the  same  Canteen,"  with  inspiriting  effect. 

The  next  gathering  was  in  Aurora,  in  1868,  and  was 
like  its  predecessor  in  attendance,  interest  and  cheer. 
The  citizens  of  that  beautiful  city  seemed  to  vie  with 
those  of  Kewanee  in  giving  a  welcome  to  their  patriot 
defenders,  though  the  gallant  old  36th  had  the  first,  and 
therefore,  it  might  have  been  supposed,  the  chief  claim 
upon  their  public  spirit  and  efforts. 

In  1871  another  re-union  was  held  at  Kewanee,  which 
was  the  last  attended  by  our  beloved  commander,  Gen. 
Howe.  Maj.  Mann  was  chosen  Chairman,  and  Chap 
lain  Howard  Secretary,  and  at  the  instance  of  Gen. 
Howe,  a  permanent  organization  was  effected,  looking 
towards  the  collection  of  material,  and  the  ultimate  pub 
lication  of  a  history  of  the  regiment.  Of  this  organi 
zation  Capt.  Stafford  was  President,  Chaplain  Howard 
Recording  Secretary,  and  Capt.  Kendall  Corresponding 
Secretary. 

Gen.  Howe,  Capt.  Newland,  Chaplain  Howard,  and 
others  made  speeches  ;  our  old  songs  were  rendered  with 
some  of  the  zest  and  eclat  of  the  days  gone  by,  and 
Kewanee  gave  us  a  bounteous  supper  at  one  of  her 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  487 


hotels,  at  which  the  old  time  "hard  tack"  knights  were 
most  ably  supported  by  their  wives  and  sweethearts  as 
table-companions.  The  homes  of  the  citizens  were 
all  open  to  us  during  our  stay,  and  many  of  our  battles 
were  fought  over  again,  and  the  weary  miles  re-marched, 
as  we  gathered  with  them  around  their  pleasant  fire 
sides. 

The  account  of  the  day,  as  published,  closed  with 
the  following,  which  voiced  the  painful  thought  of  more 
than  one  at  our  parting: 

"At  midnight  the  whistle  was  heard,  not  like  the 
reveille  of  memory,  and  after  another  cup  of  coffee,  pre 
pared  by  loving  hands,  and  another  warm  and  lingering 
grasp,  in  which  the  fingers  were  compelled  in  many  in 
stances  to  do  duty  for  the  speechless  lips,  we  were  off 
in  the  darkness,  as  we  had  often  been  for  the  foe,  and 
the  re-union  of  1871  was  a  thing  of  the  past." 

The  next  gathering  was  to  have  been  held  at  Chicago, 
but  naturally  slipped  down  to  Batavia,  and  was  richly 
enjoyed  by  all  present.  That  beautiful  and  thriving 
place  could  do,  and  did  as  well  as  her  sisters  in  enter 
taining  the  veterans  of  a  regiment  of  which  she  was 
justly  proud,  and  to  which  she  contributed  such  a  noble 
body  of  men  as  company  B. 

*  'The  fifth  annual  re-union, "  as  the  report  called  it,  was 
held  in  Aurora,  in  1876,  spacing  over  eleven  years  from 
our  muster-out.  About  fifty  of  the  survivors  of  the 
regiment  were  present,  and  were  nobly  entertained  by 


488  HISTORY  OF  THE 


the  ladies  and  citizens,  the  Aurora  Cornet  Band,  the 
Aurora  Light  Guards,  and  Post  No.  20,  G.  A.  R. 
Maj.  Mann.  Rev.  Samuel  Paine,  Rev.  H.  W.  Thomas, 
and  Col.  Stambaugh,  made  the  principal  speeches,  and 
a  bounteous  supper  was  served. 

Capt.  Tenney,  of  Chicago,  presided,  and  the  question 
of  a  history  was  so  prominently  before  the  meeting 
that,  on  motion  of  O.  D.  Bonney,  a  committee,  consist 
ing  of  Maj.  Mann,  Quartermaster  Reece,  and  Hon.  H. 
H.  Evans  was  appointed  to  take  the  work  in  hand,  and 
report  upon  its  practicability  at  the  next  meeting,  which 
was  voted  to  be  holden  in  Batavia,  in  1877. 

Resolutions  of  respect,  condolence  and  sympathy 
were  adopted,  in  view  of  the  loss  sustained  by  us  and 
their  families,  in  the  deaths  of  General  Howe  and  Lieu 
tenants  Keller  and  Breckons. 

Sept.  10,  1877,  the  re-union  was  held  at  Batavia,  accord 
ing  to  appointment,  and  was  as  truly  enjoyable  as  its  pre 
decessors  had  been.  At  this  gathering  Maj.  H.  L.  Field, 
of  Upper  Alton,  acted  as  Chairman,  and  P.  B.  Durley, 
of  Hennepin,  as  Secretary.  A  lengthy  report  was  sub 
mitted  by  the  publication  committee,  and  formed  the 
main  topic  for  discussion.  It  having  been  ascertained 
that  sufficient  material  could  be  gathered  for  a  truly  valu 
able  history,  and  that  Chaplain  Howard,  then  a  resident 
of  Lewiston,  Maine,  would  undertake  the  work  of  com 
piling  it,  subscriptions  were  taken  upon  the  spot  suffi 
cient  to  guarantee  its  success,  and  the  Chaplain  was 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  489 


chosen  Historian.  A  committee  of  revision  was  also 
chosen,  consisting  of  Maj.  H.  L.  Field  and  Silas  Wright 
Dunning,  of  company  E,  but  the  latter  was  unable  to 
serve. 

It  was  decided  to  hold  the  next  re-union  in  Chicago, 
and  that  the  Historian  should  be  invited  to  be  present, 
with  his  work  in  as  good  a  state  of  forwardness  as  pos 
sible.  This  was  carried  into  effect  at  the  Tremont 
House,  in  Chicago,  September  loth,  1878,  and  Chaplain 
Howard  was  present,  with  nine  chapters  of  the  written 
history,  including  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  He  had  also 
visited  Batavia,  Aurora,  Kewanee,  Colchester,  Upper 
Alton,  Jerseyville,  and  New  Boston,  and  lectured  in  the 
interest  of  the  work.  The  attendance  in  Chicago  was 
much  less  than  had  been  expected,  on  account  of  a 
greater  military  attraction  and  re-union  at  Amboy.  But 
the  history  spirit  was  high,  and  our  plans  were  matured 
to  such  an  extent,  either  over  our  sumptuous  dinner,  or 
in  our  club  room,  that  the  work  from  that  hour  was  an 
assured  success. 

By  vote,  at  Chicago,  the  selection  of  a  place  for  our 
next  re-union  was  left  to  a  committee  of  three,  Tenney, 
Stafford  and  Field.  After  due  correspondence,  as  the 
State  Fair  was  then  to  be  in  session  in  Springfield,  it 
was  decided  to  hold  the  next  in  that  city,  September 
3<Dth,  1879.  A  local  committee  of  arrangements  was 
appointed,  of  which  Captain  Lewis  Dorian  was  chair 
man,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  secure  General  Logan 
to  address  us,  but  previous  engagements  prevented. 


490  HISTORY  OF  THE 


An  immense  gathering  of  the  soldiers  of  the  northwest, 
at  Aurora,  August  22d.  23d  and  24th,  had  given  those 
of  our  regiment  in  the  north  end  of  the  State  as  much 
'  're-union"  as  they  cared  to  attend  in  1879;  anc*'  to 
crown  the  whole,  after  all  our  arrangements  were  made, 
and  Judge  (formerly  Colonel)  Jas.  H.  Matheny  had 
kindly  consented  to  address  us,  President  Hayes  and  party 
had  a  grand  reception  at  the  Executive  Mansion  of 
Gov.  Cullom,  the  same  evening  appointed  for  our  re 
union  !  But,  not  to  be  defeated  by  these  untoward  cir 
cumstances,  and  in  keeping  with  the  well  known  spirit 
of  the  regiment,  a  stalwart  dozen  or  so  did  "re-unite," 
some  of  whom  had  not  seen  the  faces  of  the  others  since 
the  day  of  our  muster-out  at  Chicago,  in  August,  1865  ; 
heard  the  encouraging  report,  forwarded  by  Quarter 
master  Reece,  that  full  600  copies  of  the  history  had 
been  subscribed  for,  at  $i  a  copy  ;  the  amount  already 
paid  in,  etc  ;  saw  the  284  pages  of  manuscript  sent  by 
Chaplain  Howard  to  the  revising  committee,  and  then, 
in  accordance  with  the  benign  suggestion  of  Judge 
Matheny,  who,  under  the  circumstances,  wisely  prefer 
red  to  save  his  speech  for  some  other  re-union,  adjourned 
to  the  great  Reception  at  Gov.  Cullom's,  which  was,  in 
deed  a  magnificent  affair. 

It  was  fully  intended  to  have  the  History  ready  for 
delivery  by  September,  1879,  the  time  set  for  the  re 
union  at  Springfield.  But  the  delays  incident  to  the 
magnitude  of  the  work,  and  the  fact  that  the  Historian 


ILLINOIS  INFANTRY.  491 


was  meantime  conducting  the  labors  of  an  arduous  pas 
torate,  prevented. 

But  now  it  is  completed.  And  whether  its  appear 
ance,  in  the  morning  of  1880,  shall  prove  a  bond  to  draw 
us  together,  often  and  closer  in  the  years  to  come,  or 
whether  the  work  itself  shall  suffice  us,  so  that  in  its 
silent  pages  we  shall  live  our  perils  over  again  to  our 
fullest,  and  feel  less  of  the  hungering  that  has  prompted 
us  to  traverse  the  weary  miles  to  grasp  a  comrade's 
hand,  remains  to  be  seen. 

The  one  who  has  been  buried  for  months  over  these 
pages,  never  prized  the  members  of  the  noble  old  regi 
ment  more  highly,  trusted  them  more  fully,  or  loved 
them  more  dearly  than  now.  And  as  he  forecasts  the 
threatening  sky  of  treason,  corruption  and  hate,  hanging 
low  over  the  granite  of  the  east,  and  prairies  of  the  west, 
as  well  as  over  the  cotton-fields  and  sugar  plantations  of 
the  south,  he  rejoices  that  so  many  of  the  men  that  fol 
lowed  our  old  "Excelsior"  banner  live  still,  and  many 
more  like  them  live  also,  writing  their  names  '  'Stalwart.  " 
And  because  they  live  he  has  hope,  hope  for  our  country, 
hope  for  them,  hope  that  the  patriotism  and  valor  that 
sufficed  in  the  face  of  the  foe  in  arms,  will  prove  equal 
to  the  emergency  now.  And  that  hope  causes  a  yearn 
ing  for  a  look  in  the  same  determined  eyes,  and  another 
march  with  the  same  proud  step  by  the  side  of  the  tried 
and  true,  stronger  than  any  entertained  before.  It  may, 
or  it  may  not  be  realized  ;  He  who  watches  over  nations 


492  HISTORY  OF  THE  1 24/1-11 


only  knows  what  awaits  us,  and  He  who  cares  for  indi 
viduals  alone  can  tell  our  future  as  men  ;  but  there  are 
none  of  our  number  who  do  not  rejoice  at  what  we  have 
been  permitted  to  do,  and  stand  ready,  if  need  be,  to 
peril  our  lives  again  for  our  country  and  liberty  and 
right. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE.  '498 


SUPPLEMENTARY    NOTE. 


A  word  of  explanation  seems  due  from  the  Revising  Committee. 
At  the  reunion  at  Batavia,  September  10th,  1877,  it  will  be  remem 
bered  by  those  present,  that  among  other  steps  taken  to  forward  and 
complete  the  preparation  of  the  History,  such  a  committee  was 
appointed,  consisting  of  the  undersigned  and  Silas  Wright  Dunning, 
of  company  E.  On  corresponding  with  Mr.  Dunning,  it  was  learned 
that  he  could  not  attend  to  this  duty ;  and  hence  the  entire  work  of 
revision  has,  much  to  the  latter's  regret,  fallen  upon  the  other  mem 
ber  of  the  committee. 

At  first,  with  all  his  other  duties  and  responsibilities,  it  is  but  proper 
for  him  to  say  that  he  felt  wholly  unequal  to  the  task,  and  unwilling, 
alone,  to  assume  so  great  a  responsibility .  But,  after  correspondence 
with  the  Publishing  Committee — there  seeming  to  be  no  other  course, 
without  extra  trouble  and  delay — the  task  was  undertaken,  and  not 
withstanding  the  constant  duties,  of  the  pastorate  of  a  church, 
and  the  extra  labor  of  a  change  of  residence  meantime,  it  has  been 
carried  through  with  such  of  ability  and  carefulness  as  he  was  able 
to  bestow  upon  it.  The  first  284  pages  of  manuscript  were  received 
about  September  25th,  1879,  and,  as  soon  as  possible,  passed  over  to 
the  hands  of  the  printer,  Mr.  H.  W.  Rokker,  of  Springfield,  when  the 
work  of  publishing  began  in  earnest. 

About  November  25th  over  100  pages  more  of  fools-cap  manuscript, 
with  eight  pages  of  chapter  headings  for  the  forepart  of  the  book, 
were  received,  and  soon  followed  the  other  to  the  printer's  office. 
About  the  middle  of  December  the  chapter  on  Reunions"  was  received 


494  SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE. 


and  forwarded,  which  completed  the  Chaplain's  laborious  part  of  the 
work.  From  October,  18T9,  till  the  work  of  publishing  was  done, 
(about  the  last  of  January,  1880,)  from  one  to  four  parcels  of 
manuscript  a  week,  with  accompanying  proof  containing  from  six  to 
eighteen  pages  each,  have  been  passing  from  the  printer  to  the  reviser, 
and  back  again,  with  as  little  delay  as  possible.  And  no  doubt  all 
interested  are  thoroughly  glad  that  the  end  has  at  last  come. 

The  labor  of  revising,  while  undertaken  with  much  reluctance  and 
apprehension,  felt  to  be,  as  it  was,  one  of  great  responsibility,  and 
necessarily  requiring  much  time,  has  been  one  of  absorbing  interest, 
and,  in  the  highest  sense  of  that  term,  ika  labor  of  love."  As  the 
Chaplain  has  already  testified,  so  the  present  writer  can  truly  add, 
that  he  had  never  thought  so  much  of  the  old  regiment,  to  which  he 
had  the  honor  of  belonging,  as  since  reading  over,  in  this  connected 
way,  the  record  of  its  history.  And  as  he  now  casts  about  and  has  the 
evidence  that  a  large  number  of  its  surviving  members  are  filling 
places^of  honor  and  trust  in  the  various  walks  of  life,  the  conviction 
deepens  that  every  man  who  belonged  thereto  has  reason  to  recall, 
with  pride,  his  connection  with  this  regiment.  Among  those  who 
served  most,  if  not  all  the  time,  as  privates,  at  least  two  have  been 
called  to  fill  seats  in  the  Legislatures  of  their  respective  States — 
Hon.  Henry  H.  Evans,  (Co.  H.)  of  Aurora,  Illinois,  to  whose  influence 
was  largely  due  the  present  militia  law  of  this  State;  and  Hon. 
Harrison  W.  Beck,  formerly  of  company  C,  in  the  Legislature  of 
Kansas.  Others,  whose  names  it  is  not  necessary  to  mention,  both  of 
officers  and  men,  have  also  gained  great  credit  to  themselves  in 
different  ways,  and  thereby  reflected  honor  upon  their  old  regiment. 

But  a  word  more  concerning  the  work  itself,  before  closing.  After 
all  the  pains  taken  by  Chaplain  Howard  in  preparing  the  History, 
which  has  involved  a  cast  amount  of  labor,  and  all  the  care  the 
undersigned  has  been  able  to  bestow,  both  in  revising  the  manuscript 
before  going  to  press  and  the  proof-sheets  afterwards,  some  inaccu 
racies  will  doubtless  remain,  especially  in  the  spelling  of  men's  names 
in  the  appendix — many  of  them  unusual,  and  necessarily  copied  from 
the  muster-out  rolls  of  the  State,  which  are  very  inaccurate  in  this 
respect.  A  few  mistakes  as  to  facts  may  be  discovered,  which  might 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE.  495 

have  been  avoided  had  more  of  the  regiment  been  within  consulting 
distance.  But  the  assertion  is  ventured  that  the  entire  substance  of 
the  history  of  the  regiment  will  be  found  embodied  in  this  work ;  and 
that  for  accuracy  of  detail,  where  so  many  facts,  dates  and  names 
were  involved,  it  will  compare  favorably  with  any  similar  work  pub 
lished. 

HENRY  L.  FIELD, 

Once  Captain  Co.  C,  and  Major  124th  111.  Inf., 
Committee  on  Revision. 

RANTOUL,  CHAMPAIGN  COUNTY,  ILL., 
January,  1880. 


496  APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


REGIMENTAL    ROSTER. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF — COMMISSIONED. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865,  at  Camp  Douglas,  Illinois. 

Lieut.  Col.  John  H.  Howe,  commissioned  Colonel;  Quartermaster 
Alonzo  N.  Reece ;  Surgeon  James  R.  Kay ;  Chaplain  R.  L.  Howard. 

ABSENT  ON  DETACHED  SERVICE. 

Major  Adin  Mann,  commissioned  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

HONORABLY  DISCHARGED  PREVIOUSLY. 

Adjutant  Wm.  E.  Smith,  wounds,  May  15,  1865 ;  Surgeon  L.  H. 
Angell,  disability,  June  1,  1864. 

RESIGNED. 

Chaplain  H.  B.  Foskett,  July  1,  1863. 

MUSTERED-OUT  IN  LOWER  RANK. 

Major  Hemy  L.  Field,  as  Captain  company  C. 

DISMISSED. 

Col.  Thomas  J.  Sloan,  Dec.  15,  1863;  Maj.  R.  P.  Pattison,  July  9, 
1863 — restored,  but  did  not  re-join  regiment.  Second  Asst.  Surg. 
John  Jassoy,  Nov.  17,  1864. 


APPENDIX.  497 


NON-COMMISSIONED. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Sergeant-Major  James  W.  Wharton,  commissioned  Adjutant;  Quar 
termaster  Sergeant  Preston  B.  Durley ;  Commissary  Sergeant  Ambrose 
Mathews ;  Hospital  Steward  Charles  B.  Allaire ;  Principal  Musicians 
Joseph  E.  Merrill,  Benjamin  C.  Bartlett. 

PROMOTED. 

Serg't.  Maj.  J.  L.  C.  Richards,  3d  Lieutenant  company  C,  Dec. 
5,  1864. 

RETURNED  TO  COMPANY  F,  AT  HIS  OWN  REQUEST. 

Commissary  Sergeant  James  A.  Nye,  after  two  years'  faithful 
service. 


COMPANY  A. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Edmond  C.  Raymond;  1st  Lieut.  D.  Ames  Bigelow;  3d 
Lieut.  Warren  F.  Dodge;  1st  Sergeant  Wm.  C.  Kent.  Sergeants:  James 
S.  Stone.  Matthew  F.  Boyles.  Lewis  I.  Elliott,  Asa  Bunton.  Corporals : 
John  Butterwick,  John  Garrett.  Jr.,  Frank  Goodenow,  Frank  Hud 
son,  Henry  Rentfrow;  Musicians,  Robert  G.  Williams,  Henry  Carr; 
Wagoner  Charles  C.  Miles.  Privates:  Daniel  S.  Adams,  William  L. 
Abby,  William  Blomberg,  James  M.  Blevins,  Simeon  Baker,  Joseph 
F.  Baines,  Jacob  S.  Baines.  George  A.  Davis,  James  Ford,  John  Hip- 
pert,  John  Hooper,  Chester  S.  Harrington,  Josiah  B.  Harrington. 
John  M.  Knox,  Fred.  M.  Leacroft,  Andrew  Lind,  Marcus  B.  Lester, 
Jacob  Messmore,  John  Mahnesmith,  Abraham  Mehew,  Craven  New 
ton,  George  P.  Slocum,  Charles  Thaya,  Rescum  H.  Thompson,  John 
Vining,  Andrew  L.  Wood,  Charles  0.  Wilson,  George  Wickton. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Corporals:  Alford  S.  Sayles,  June  28,  1865;  Orlando  Brace,  Oct.  14, 
1865,  badly  wounded.  Privates:  Charles  C.  Cully,  May  81,  1865;  Isaac 
Cook,  June  5,  1865;  Henry  Duffield.  Jr.,  May  25,  1865;  Samuel  A. 


498  APPENDIX. 


Gardner,  June  13,  1805;  William  Hurst,  July  5,  1865;  Benjamin  Me- 
hew,  June  16, 1865;  Frank  E.  Norton  and  James  H.  Pinney,  June  2, 
1865;  Joseph  Sadler,  Aug.  10,  1865;  George  Tunnecliffe,  May  18. 
1865 ;  Charles  H.  Vanclave,  June  5,  1865 ;  Charles  H.  Winters,  July 
22,  1865.  Recruits:  William  Mocroft  and  Edwin  E.  Slocum,  June 
15,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

Captain  Ralph  A.  Tenney,  July  9,  1863. 

DISCHARGED   FOR   DISABILITY. 

Sergeant  Edward  F.  Pease,  March  8,  1863.  Corporals:  Seth  R. 
Slocum,  Feb.  5,  1863;  Jacob  Pottorf,  May  30,  1865.  Privates:  John 
Beck,  Dec.  8,  1863;  James  Donnelly,  Aug.  7,  1863;  Albion  Good, 
Nov.  16,  1862;  Moses  A.  Hawkes,  Dec.  13,  1863;  Joseph  R.  Hills, 
Aug.  10,  1863;  Christopher  Ledren,  July  26,  1864;  Stephen  D.  Me- 
hew,  Aug.  11,  1863;  William  H.  Me  Adams,  April  1,  1863;  William 
Stover,  Feb.  2,  1863;  Harvey  Shires.  Oct.  22,  1863;  Cornelius  W. 
Young,  May  30,  1865.  Recruits:  Washington  Elliott,  Dec.  20,  1864; 
James  Thompson,  July  17,  1865.  %  . 

KILLED. 

1st  Lieutenant  Julius  A.  Pratt,  June  25,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Miss. 
Privates:  John  Hervett  and  Wm.  H.  Wilson,  at  Spanish  Fort,  Ala., 
March  30,  1865 ;  George  W.  Lester,  at  Spanish  Fort.  Ala.,  April  2, 
1865. 

DIED. 

Corporals:  James  C.  Leech,  at  home,  April  3,  1863;  William  M. 
Steele,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Aug.  7,  1863;  Asa  Smith,  Fort  Gaines,  April 
19,  1865;  John  Test,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Sept.  8,  1863;  Henry  C.  Wor- 
den.  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Aug.  3,  1864.  Privates:  Henry  S.  Goodrich, 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  May  22,  1863;  William  Johnson,  at  home,  Oct.  8, 
1863;  Henry  Oman,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Aug.  18,  1863;  Horatio  G.  San- 
t'ord,  of  wounds,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  17,  1864;  John  Stratton. 
Jackson,  Tenn..  Oct.  13,  1862;  Adolphus  Schoonover.  prisoner. 
Shreveport,  La.,  March,  1864;  Thomas  Thomas,  Quincy,  111.,  July  11, 
1864;  Cassius  Winn,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  Maich  27,  1863. 


APPENDIX.  499 


TRANSFERRED. 

Corporals:  Ambrose  Mathews,  to  non-commissioned  staff;  Tracy  P. 
Sykes,  to  V  R.  C.,  Oct.  23,  1808,  mustered  out  as  Sergeant,  June  24, 
1805;  Champlin  Lester,  to  33d  Illinois,  July  16,  1805.  Privates:  Levi 
Leek,  Invalid  Corps,  April  2,  1864;  Latham  B.  Stewart,  Invalid  Corps, 
Sept.  3,  1864;  James  H.  Winn,  Invalid  Corps,  Jan.  3,  1804.  Recruits: 
Montgomery  Austin,  John  J.  Bloom,  Oliver  Frink,  Samuel  Ferris, 
Daniel  Hendricks,  Thomas  Hicks,  Augustus  Hulsizer,  Norris  D.  Lyle, 
Robert  McGilliard,  Allen  W.  Penn,  Harry  Rankin,  William  Slocum, 
George  W.  Slocum,  Joseph  F.  Tunnecliffe,  John  M.  Thommett,  Elias 
Thrasher,  Horton  Vail,  Thomas  Whiffin,  and  Robert  Walton,  to  33d 
Illinois,  July  10,  1865. 

DESERTED. 

Privates:  Peter  Benoit,  July  1,  1863;  Hiram  Dexter,  July  30,  1863; 
James  W.  Dugan,  Sept.  12,  1863 ;  Andrew  Townsend,  July  15,  1863. 

UNDER  COOKS— colored. 

Abraham  Cook,  Caesar  Me  Alpine,  and  Hilly  ard  Piper,  mustered  out 
Aug.  15,  1865;  Albert  Shades,  discharged  for  disability,  Nov.  24,  1864. 


COMPANY  B. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Edwin  F.  Stafford;  1st  Lieut.  F.  C.  VanVlack<  2d  Lieut. 
Christopher  H.  Keller;  1st  Sergeant  Henry  P.  Brown;  Seegeants: 
John  H.  Morse,  Cullen  Keefe,  Franklin  S.  Hanks,  Gilbert  W.  Young. 
Corporals:  Frederick  V.  L.  Morris,  Charles  E.  Bassett,  Michael  Jor 
dan,  Jas.  T.  McMaster,  Jackson  L.  Hovey,  Hicks  Frydendall,  John  H. 
Mole,  Patrick  Welsh.  Privates:  James  D.  Austin,  Theodore  P.  Ball, 
.John  Black.  John  Brown,  Emory  Caskey,  Charles  W.  Cook,  George  W. 
Gregg,  Harlow  Helmer,  James  C.  Henrie,  William  J.  Hollister,  Ed 
ward  L.  Hunt,  Henry  C.  Joy,  William  Johnson,  Hiram  Jenkins,  Alonzo 
H.  Kelsey,  Thomas  W.  McAuley,  Jamee  Martin,  Charles  H.  Mallo. 
Nathaniel  Ratcliffe,  Ferdinand  G.  Stephenson,  William  C.  Tulloch, 
George  Voorhees,  Orson  Weaver,  Edwin  A.  Williams,  William  Walrod. 


500  APPENDIX. 


DISCHARGED. 

1st  Sergeant  H.  Emory  Abbott,  disability.  March  2,  1863;  Sergeant 
Fred.  V.  D.  Vanline,  discharged  June  19,  1863.  Corporals:  Norman 
L.  Shults,  May  24,  1865;  Salem  B.  Town,  dis.  Feb.  28,  1863.  Musi 
cians:  John  Bullard,  dis,  Feb.  23,  1863;  Charles  F.  Robertson,  dis. 
Jan.  1,  1863.  Privates:  William  A.  Bingham,  promoted  Feb.  3,  1864; 
John  S.  Ball,  dis.  Dec.  16,  1862;  William  Boardman,  dis.  .Ian.  20, 1863; 
Hyde  H.  Black,  May  24,  1865;  Ebenezer  Bradley,  Aug.  20,  1864;  .las. 
Bradley,  May  24,  1865;  Julius  G.  Brown,  May  24,  1865;  Charles  A. 
Bucher,  dis.  Feb.  22,  1863;  Charles  Cleveland,  dis.  .June  3.  1865;  Oli 
ver  B.  Douglas,  dis.  Feb.  22,  1865 ;  Louis  A.  Desrosier,  May  24,  1865 ; 
Charles  B.  Grover,  dis.  Aug.  12,  1864;  Albert  Johnston,  June  14,  1865; 
Andrew  Leroy,  wounds,  Aug.  22,  1863;  Henry  A.  Lewis,  prom.  July 
10,  1863;  John  W.  Lumm,  June  3,  1865;  Francis  W.  Mann,  May  24. 
1865 ;  Frederick  Miller,  wounds,  Oct.  10,  1863;  Noah  Monroe,  May  24, 
1865 ;  Thomas  O'Connor,  May  24,  1865 ;  William  Reed,  dis.  Feb.  28, 
1863;  ElishaP.  Stone,  dis.  April  25.  1863,  James  K.  Stephenson,  dis. 
Sept.  11,  1863;  Emanuel  Sturgis,  dis.  Feb.  22,  1863;  Theodore  Wood, 
prom.  July  20,  1864;  Daniel  Whipple,  dis.  Jan.  20,  1863.  Most  of  the 
above,  unmarked,  were  discharged  on  General  Order  No.  77,  Western 
Department,  discharging  those  absent  from  their  commands  on  de 
tached  service,  and  is  entered  by  some  of  the  company  commanders 
as  "mustered  out."  to  which  it  was  regarded  as  being  equivalent. 

PROMOTED. 

Captain  Adin  Mann,  Major,  Dec.  18,  1863. 

KILLED. 

Private  Oscar  T.  Cooley,  Vicksburg,  Miss..  June  8,  1863. 

DIED. 

Sergeant  .lames  Hanes,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  27,  1864.  Corporals: 
Rosaloo  Fisk,  wounds,  New  Orleans,  La.,  April  21,  1865;  Isaac  S. 
Hedges,  at  home,  Aug.  15,  1863.  Privates:  Cleveland  Acox,  wounds, 
Clinton,  Miss.,  March  7,  1864;  Samuel  Ball,  at  home,  Feb.  22,  1863; 
Franklin  Boyd,  Memphis,  Term.,  June  23,  18(53;  Joseph  Barrett,  on 
Hosp.  boat,  Aug.  29,  1863;  Milton  Beverly,  Memphis.  Tenn.,  July  13, 


APPENDIX.  501 


1863;  Martin  C.  Jones,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  3,  1803;  Isaiah  Noakes, 
at  home,  Oct.  4,  1802,  (our  first  death);  Simon  H.  Paul,  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  Feb.  15,  1863;  Menard  L.  Stone,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  21, 
1863;  Samuel  M.  Updike,  on  Hosp.  boat,  May  15,  1863;  Kirby  Waite. 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  March  2,  1863;  Peter  Victor,  captured  and  murdered 
by  the  enemy  near  Benton.  Miss.,  Oct.  16,  1863. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Private  Ransom  Couley,  to  V.  R.  C.  Recruits:  Andrew  Anderson, 
Edwin  M.  Benedict,  Josiah  L.  Coolidge,  John  H.  Cleveland,  David 
E.  Dean,  Michael  Davis,  Edwin  F.  Fish,  Francis  C.  Joy,  Charles  Lap- 
pin,  Russell  Massee,  Frederick  L.  Manning,  Valentine  McDonald. 
William  H.  Price,  Cyrus  R.  Ross,  William  J.  Reynolds,  Clark  Wood, 
to  33d  Illinois,  July  16,  1865. 

ON  DETACHED  SERVICE  AT  MUSTER-OUT  OF  REGIMENT. 

Walter  M.  McAuley. 

ABSENT  SICK  AT  MUSTER-OUT  OF  REGIMENT. 

William  Noakes. 

UNACCOUNTED   FOR. 

John  Crooks. 

UNDER  COOKS — colored. 
Joseph  Johnson  and  Lewis  Nowles,  mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 


COMPANY  C. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Henry  L.  Field;  1st  Lieut.  Lewis  Dorian;  2d  Lieut.  John 
L.  C.  Richards;  1st  Sergeant  Ninian  C.  Beatty.  Sergeants:  C.  M. 
Cassatt,  Lafayette  Hegans,  .Joseph  E.  Wood,  B.  F.  Goodman.  Corpo 
rals:  James  Constant,  William  Grabendike,  Charles  H.  Howell,  Royal 
M.  Lee,  William  F.  Morris,  Thomas  Ross,  Lewis  N.  Smith.  Albert  Tru 
man.  Privates:  Charles  H.  Burrows.  William  H.  Bartlett,  Eli  Cad- 
walader,  J.  G.  Franklin.  William  Franklin.  John  Havener,  Wilbur  F. 


502  APPENDIX. 


Hesser,  Thomas  Hughes,  A.  C.  Johnson,  B.  F.  Miller,  Stephen  March, 
John  Nelson,  John  C.  O'Connor,  George  W.  Perrings,  F.  A.  Shinkle. 
James  Smirl,  Alfred  H.  Titus,  Horatio  M.  Van  Winkle,  W.  H.  Wicker- 
sham. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Privates:  S.  E.  Beck,  June  19,  18(55;  J.  J.  Cook,  June  29,  1865;  H. 
H.  Hays,  July  13,  1865,  wounded;  Charles  E.  Payne,  July  13,  1865, 
wounded;  Robert  Tindall,  June  25,  1865;  William  S.Walker,  May 
18,  1865.  Recruits:  Harrison  W.  Beck,  May  31, 1865;  Timothy  Booth, 
June  19th,  1865;  Leroy  Lamb,  June  9,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

1st  Lieut.  John  W.  Terry,  July  27,  1863;  2d  Lieut,  'ames  Rickey, 
Feb.  5,  1863. 

DISCHARGED. 

1st  Sergeant  John  J.  White,  dis.  -'une  10,  1863.  Corporals:  P.  H. 
Conant.  dis.  Feb.  5,  1864;  Noah  Hodge,  prom.  Oct.  17,  1864.  Pri 
vates;  SamuelS.  Alexander,  wounds,  Oct.  2,  1863;  James  H.  Burrows, 
dis.  Feb  11,  1863;  R.  C.  Butler,  dis.  March  9,  1863;  R.  N.  Beard,  dis. 
Jan.  1,  1863;  D.  C.  Coward,  prom.  Oct.  6,  1864;  H.  P.  Daggett,  dis. 
Feb.  24,  1863;  J.  J.  Eubank,  prom.  Jan.  1,  1864;  Reuben  Gregg,  Jan. 
5,  1865 ;  J.  P.  Hansel,  dis.  March  15,  1863;  W.  W.  Leverett,  prom. 
June  15,  1865;  Charles  F.  Mills,  prom.  August,  1863;  Henry  M.  Stoker, 
dis  Feb.  22, 1863;  J.  H.  Slaughter,  prom.  May  11, 1864;  C.  B.  Thacher, 
prom.  July  19,  1864.  Recruits:  Milton  C.  Brown,  April  8,  1865;  Rees 
S  Bell,  dis  June  3,  1863;  Jesse  R.  Cadwalader,  dis.  June  12,  1865; 
Thomas  K  Mills,  dis  June  3,  1863;  Mason  McCrellis,  dis.  Sept.  23, 
1864;  John  J.  H.  McDow,  dis.  Jan  18,  1865. 

KILLED. 

Corporal  R.  C.  Vance,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  26, 1863;  Private  Mat 
thew  Manning.  Spanish  Fort,  Ala  .  April  6,  1865. 

DIED. 

Sergeant  .John  Vlerebone,  wounds,  near  Champion  Hills,  May  18, 
1863.  Corporals:  Lloyd  M.  Kilby,  Lagrange,  Tenn  ,  Dec.  7,  1852; 
Solomon  Fullenwider,  Camp  Butler,  111.,  Jan.  10, 1864;  David  Hawker, 


APPENDIX.  503 


Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Nov.  24,  1863.  Privates:  Frederick  Austin,  Detroit, 
Mich.,  Sept.  8,  1863;  Charles  Barton,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  March 

10,  18(53;  JohnG  Givens,  Lake  Providence, ,  1763;  H.H.  Downes, 

Vicksburg,  Sept.  27,  1864;  Wm.  Gaston,  Vicksburg,  Sept.  27,  1864; 
George  Grabendike,  wounds,  Vicksburg,  June  27,  1863;  Thornton 
Hughes,  Memphis,  Tenn  ,  July  14,  1863;  George  W.  Lanham,  wounds, 
Vicksburg,  June  27,  1863;  J.  C.  Motherly,  Laclede,  Mo.,  Sept  15, 
1863;  Nelson  Phillips,  wounds,  Vicksburg,  June  28,  1863;  L.  D.  Sell, 
on  steamer  "Crescent  City,"  July  9,  1863. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Musician  B.  C.  Bartlett,  to  non-commissioned  staff.  Privates:  ,Con- 
rad  Brown,  V.  R.  C.,  July  1,  1864;  J.  L.  Culver,  V.  R.  C.,  Dec.  23, 
1863;  L.  H.  Converse,  V.  R.  C.,  July  29,  1863;  Levi  Crane,  V.  R.  C., 
July  1,  1864;  William  Manning,  V.  R.  C.,  April  2,  1864;  George  W. 
Rutherford,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28,  1863;  George  Shinkle,  V.  R.  C.,  April 
2,  1864;  J.  M.  Vanarsdell,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28,  1863;  Peter  Vlerebone, 
V.  R.  C.,  June  27,  1864.  Recruits:  James  Abercrombie,  John  C.  Bar 
ley,  Robert  A.  Barnes,  Henry  W.  Beck,  Pinkney  S.  Barton,  Andrew 
J.  Carroll,  Leander  Curtis,  Henry  Duquoin,  P.  W.  Dougherty,  Elisha 
Folds,  Hiram  Grabendike,  Patrick  Gallagher,  Linus  Humiston, 
Richard  Hodge,  Pliny  G.  Hays,  J.  K.  P.  Kennedy,  John  W.  Lucas, 
John  H.  Land,  Joseph  S.  Malott,  John  Malone,  John  H.  McGee.  Rob 
ert  Murphy,  Jeremiah  O'Donnell,  John  Riley,  Henry  C.  Riley,  Henry 
H.  Sisson,  Milton  E.  Stringham.  William  R.  Smith,  Samuel  W.  Sam 
son,  Henry  C.  Terry,  James  Whitaker,  John  L.  Wilson,  to  33d  Illinois, 
July  16,  1865. 

DESERTED. 

Private  John  S.  Fleming,  1863.  Recruits:  Samuel  Clark,  Thomas 
Haley,  Francis  K.  Reed. 

UNACCOUNTED   FOR. 

Recruit  Edward  Heinline. 

UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

Abram  Lovely  and  Colman  Wyatt,  mustered  out  Aug.  15.  1865; 
Bristol  Beddel,  absent  sick  at  muster-out  of  regiment. 


•504  APPENDIX. 


COMPANY  D. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Abraham  Newland;  1st  Lieut.  Henry  J.  Brockway;  2d 
Lieut.  Thomas  P.  Price;  1st  Sergeant  Jas.  Sellens.  Sergeants: 
Henry  W.  Hulse,  Joseph  Jackson,  John  Dungan,  Thomas  Hunn. 
Corporals:  Robert  Chapin,  William  Milbourne,  .John  T.  Smith. 
Benjamin  F.  Spicer,  Jacob  Warntz;  Musicians:  William  S.  Wilson, 
Hanby  Wilson ;  Privates :  Dennis  B.  Aiken,  Daniel  Byerle.  Thomas 
Conner,  William  M.  Green,  Joseph  C.  Gilmer,  Benjamin  W.  Goodhue, 
Albert  Gibbs,  William  Hickman,  A.  J.  Hainline,  Besley  Hobbs. 
Milford  G.  Harris,  John  Johnson,  Edward  Kelley,  Anthony  Lohn, 
Francis  M.  Mourning,  David  Mumma,  Israel  L.  Shreves,  John  Terrill. 
George  M.  Young ;  Recruit  John  B.  Kimball. 

Mustered  out  at   Other  Times. 
Private  William  F.  Deener,  July  5,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

Capt.  Stephen  Brink.  Aug.  11.  1863;  1st  Lieut.  Asa  A.  Cowdery. 
July  34,  1863;  2d  Lieut.  Travis  Mellor,  June  20,  1863. 

DISCHARGED. 

Sergeant  Joseph  A.  Dean,  prom.,  Dec.  3,  1864;  Corporals:  John 
Baylan,  dis.,  Feb.  3,  1864;  Frank  B.  Reeves,  wounds,  Sept.  18,  1863; 
James  H.  Kirk,  dis.,  Nov.  8,  1862;  Abraham  G.  Bechtel,  dis.,  June  5, 
1865;  Privates:  Daniel  Brown,  dis.,  Sept.  18,  1863;  George  Butt,  at 
Springfield,  111.,  in  1862;  Victor  M.  Dewey,  prom.,  Sept.  20,  1864; 

Albert  M.  Dunton,  wounds.  Oct.  27,  1864;  John  W.  Ennis,  ,  1865; 

Charles  Harvey,  dis.,  Dec.  15,  1864;  Robert  A.  Hogaboom,  prom.. 
Jan.  18,  1864;  Stephen  A.  Houghton,  dis.,  October  12,  1863;  Lorenzo 
C.  Kelsey,  July  7,  1865;  William  McKenzie.  Wounds,  June  5,  1865; 
John  J.  Moore,  dis..  Mar.  17,  1865;  William  H.  Moulton,  dis.,  Aug.  6, 
1863;  Joseph  L.  Satterlee,  June  5,  1865;  Hugh  E.  Wear,  dis.,  Feb.  18, 
1863;  William  J.  Waller,  dis.,  Oct.  1,  1864;  Geo.  W.  Weeks,  prom., 
June  23,  1864;  Recruits:  Nicholas  Bloomshine,  June  8,  18(55;  William 
Hazzard,  wounds,  June  5.  18(15;  Timothy  A.  Holmes,  dis..  July  6. 
1865;  Walter  Shannon,  dis..  May '31,  1865. 


APPENDIX.  505 


KILLED. 
Private  Henry  Shultz,  Champion  Hills,  May  16,  1803. 

DIED. 

1st  Sergeant  Solomon  H.  Dean,  at  home,  Nov.  13,  1802;  Sergeant 
John  Bechtel,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  Mar.  21,  1803;  Corporal  William 
E.  Tolhurst,  at  home,  Oct.  21,  1802;  Privates:  Thomas  Broadbent. 
wounds,  near  Champion  Hills,  May  19,  1803;  Abner  Barrett,  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  Oct.  24, 1803;  John  Bainbridge,  Memphis,  Term.,  Jan.  28,  1803; 
William  H.  H.  Boyd,  Jackson,  Tenn.,  Nov.  15,  1802;  Simon  Calbert, 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  July  24,  1803;  James  M.  Causey,  Jackson,  Tenn., 
Nov.  0,  1802 ;  Job  Gartside,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Nov.  1,  1804;  Josiah  W. 
Goodwin,  wounds  received  at  Raymond,  Miss.,  May  10,  1803;  George 
Hall,  Jackson,  Tenn.,  Oct.  30,  1802;  Jacob  Raper,  wounds,  Vicksburg, 
Miss.,  June  20,  1803;  David  Tolhurst,  Dundee,  111.,  Oct.  21,  1802; 
Recruits:  John  H.  Lovell,  at  home,  May  2(5,  1865;  Franklin  Meyers, 
Big  Black,  Miss.,  April  4,  1804. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Sergeant  William  Orwing,  Invalid  Corps,  Sept.  3,  1863;  Privates: 
Oscar  Barnhart,  Co.  E,  John  Kidston,  Co.  E,  Patrick  Y.  Mullen,  In 
valid  Corps,  Jan.  15,  1864,  Elbridge  C.  Nelson,  Invalid  Corps,  Aug.  10. 
1804;  Recruits:  Frederick  Bloomshine,  William  J.  Burford,  James 
D.  Brower,  William  H.  Delay,  Jacob  Delay,  Joseph  Duncan,  John  W. 
Holton,  Albert  H.  Hutchinson,  Francis  M.  Huff,  Alfred  H.  Hodgkin, 
Henry  M.  Jarvis,  David  Jenkins,  Hugh  McCullough,  Robert  Mitchell, 
John  Moore,  Henry  J.  Mammon,  Frank  J.  Milton,  Joseph  Nixon, 
Alfred  Orr,  William  A.  Pyle,  Henry  C.  Pitman,  Joseph  H.  Richards, 
John  S.  Richards,  Michael  O.  Sullivan,  Edward  Shannon,  George  R. 
Sheets,  Zachariah  Swigart,  Almon  D.  Twitchell,  James  M.  Wear,  to 
33d  Illinois,  July  10,  1805. 

ABSENT   SICK   AT    MUSTER-OUT   OP   REGIMENT. 

Private  Sylvester  Parker. 

DESERTED. 

Privates:  John  Austin,  Oct.  24,  1863;  John  Smith,  Jan.  20,  1863; 
John  York,  Jan.  20,  1863.  Recruits:  Isaac  Mayhorn,  Jan.  8,  1865; 
Patrick  Phillips,  Jan.  24,  1865. 


506  APPENDIX. 


UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

James  Gordon,  Thomas  McLean,  Henry  S.  Sheridan,  and   Henry 
Winters,  mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1805. 


COMPANY  E. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1805. 

Captain  Reese  L.  Merriman;  1st  Lieut.  Wm.  H.  Anderson;  1st  Ser 
geant  Harvey  B.  Powers.  Sergeants:  John  I.  Bromfield,  Patrick  M. 
Fitzgerald,  Richard  S.  Thompson,  John  O.  Wagner.  Corporals:  Henry 
Dickson,  Lewis  T.  Hickok,  Herbert  Lane,  Joseph  D.  Robinson,  William 
Smith,  Job  H.  Yaggy,  Wagoner  Fowler  Irwin.  Privates:  George  H. 
Brown,  Thomas  D.  Cuthbert,  Justus  Dodge,  Marshall  Dorr,  Sylvester 
D.  Elderkin,  Arthur  M.  Garnsey,  William  M.  Hale,  Charles  Hartman, 
John  Karney,  David  S.  Miller,  Neil  McGlaughlin,  Amos  B.  Morey, 
Horace  McKay,  James  Smith,  Joseph  Thompson,  Charles  Usher, 
Daniel  Vinson,  George  W.  Wampole,  John  G.  Weillein,  David  Weigler, 

William  White. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Corporal  James  W.  Lusk,  June  12,  1805.  Privates:  Joseph  B. 
Albert,  May  15,  1805;  Charles  D.  Bigelow,  June  4,  1805;  Jonathan 
Crosby,  May  29,  1805;  Silas  W.  Dunning,  July  22,  1805;  Michael 
Maloney,  at  Baton  Rouge,  La.,  -  -  ,  1805;  Joseph  D.  Newman,  July 
29,  1805. 

RESIGNED. 

Captain  William  B.  Sigley,  June  27,  1804;  1st  Lieut.  James  H. 
Blackmore,  July  24,  1803;  2d  Lieut.  Osborn  Wilson,  July  13,  1803. 

PROMOTED. 

Sergeant  Hiram  H.  Hall,  to  be  2d  Lieutenant,  Co.  K. 

DISCHARGED. 

Sergeants:  William  Getchel,  prom.,  Dec.  30.  1S03;  Homer  J. 
Elliott,  prom.,  Oct.  9,  1803;  Horace  J.  Hall,  prom.,  Jan.  5.  18(54. 
Corporal  John  Fairweather,  prom.,  Aug.  14,  1803.  Musician  Frank 


APPENDIX.  507 


Pinney,  prom.,  July  20,  1804.  Privates:  Nelson  P.  Atwood,  dis., 
Oct.  21,  1802;  Pierce  Brennan,  dis.,  Jan.  19,  1803;  Hiram  E.  Corey, 
dis.,  March  3,  1803;  Jacob  G.  Forney,  prom..  Feb.  22,  1804;  Lanson 
Hinman,  dis.,  March  5,  1803;  Abram  Matter,  dis.,  Sept.  11,  1803; 
William  Mears,  dis.,  Sept.  17,  1804;  Maurice  C.  Ryan,  prom.,  Dec.  30, 
1803;  John  E.  Roach,  dis.,  April  15,  1803;  George  H.  Rogers,  dis., 
July  2(5,  1804;  David  D.  Speer,  dis.,  Sept.  17,  1804;  Martin  L.  Stage, 
dis.,  Oct.  20,  1804;  Napoleon  J.  Smith,  prom.,  Aug.  1,  1803;  William 
Vintner,  dis.,  Dec.  18,  1802;  Hiram  G.  Wyckoff,  prom.,  April  23,  1803. 
Recruits:  Nelson  W.  Hinkston,  dis.,  April  15,  1801;  Oscar  Barnhart, 
Aug.  31,  1803. 

KILLED. 

Private  John  Martin,  Raymond,  Miss.,  May  12,  1803. 

DIED. 

1st  Sergeant  Hiram  J.  Howland,  wounds,  near  Champion  Hills, 
Miss.,  May  17,  1803.  Corporals:  Robert  B.  Stephens,  Lagrange, 
Tenn.,  Dec.  5,  1802;  Howard  C.  Dunlary,  Jackson,  Term.,  Feb.  10, 
1803.  Privates:  William  A.  Butler,  Lagrange,  Tenn.,  Dec.  5,  1802; 
Charles  L.  Cheeney,  Jackson,  Tenn.,  Oct.  24,  1802;  John  H.  French, 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Nov.  14,  1804;  Daniel  Jenkins,  Vicksburg,  Jan.  11, 
1804;  Edward  McGlynn,  Camp  Douglas,  111.,  Aug.  15,  1805;  Joseph 
R.  Miller,  Vicksburg,  July  28,  1803;  Peter  Rackmeyer,  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  June  10,  1803;  Adam  N.  Roach,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  April 
22,  1803;  Cyrus  W.  Randall,  Andersonville,  Ga.,  while  a  prisoner  of 
war,  grave  No.  10,772;  John  J.  Smith,  wounds,  Vicksburg,  June  20, 
1803 ;  Monroe  Turner,  Memphis,  Jan.  20,  1803.  Recruit  John  Kidston, 
wounds,  near  Champion  Hills,  Miss.,  May  18,  1803. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Corporal  Ezra  D.  Race,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  20,  1803.  Privates:  Preston 
B.  Durley,  non-commissoned  staff;  Jacob  S.  Lautz,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct. 
20,  18(53;  Horace  Miner,  V.  R.  C.,  June  30,  1804,  mustered  out  July 
5,  18(55,  as  1st  Serg't;  Charles  M.  Plummer,  V.  R.  C.,  April  2,  18(54; 
John  H.  Ward,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  20,  1803.  Recruits:  Alonzo  V.  Howard 
and  William  J.  Ryan,  to  33d  111.,  July  10,  1805. 


508  APPENDIX. 


ABSENT   AT   MUSTER-OUT    OF     REGIMENT. 

Private    John   St.   Martin,    at    Vicksburg,    wounded  —  unofficially 
reported  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. 

DESERTED. 

Privates:  Sebra  Emerson,  Oct.  6,  1862,  Henry  Weber,  Oct.  6,  1862; 
Recruit  Paul  Barnhart,  Oct.  6,  1862. 

UNDER  COOK — colored. 
Robert  Ramsbury,  mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 


COMPANY  F. 

Mustered  wit  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Norman  H.  Pratt;  1st  Lieut.  Enoch  W.  Taylor;  2d  Lieut. 
Edward  R.  Breckons;  1st  Sergeant  Erastus  Austin;  Sergeants  Leonard 
Mitchelson,  George  S.  Green,  John  Mulligan;  Corporals:  Garrett 
Brown,  Chester  B.  Vail,  John  H.  Carson,  Thomas  E.  Houle,  Harrison 
W.  Merrill,  Wilson  Sowerby,  Frank  Steinbaugh ;  Privates:  Nathaniel 
Allard,  Charles  Bennett,  David  Beeman,  Herrick  Blanchard,  Julius 
Charlet,  William  Couvee,  John  Coon,  William  G.  Clark,  John  Eagle, 
Peter  Herbener,  Henry  Hudson,  Charles  Harrison,  Olof  H.  Johnson, 
Silas  T.  Jarman,  David  J.  Leech,  David  Magee,  William  McPherson, 
John  B.  Munshaw.  William  O'Neal,  Launcelot  Oliver,  Euemer  W. 
Oliver,  Lanty  Oliver,  Joseph  Price,  Charles  Peck,  Frederick  W. 
Statz,  William  O.  Willard,  Robert  Wonders. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Sergeant  Joseph  L.  Flint,  June  20,  1865;  Corporal  James  Porter, 
May  30,  1865;  Privates:  Timothy  L.  Carson,  June  3,  1865;  Joseph 
Emory,  May  17,  1865;  Thomas  Fleming,  May  28,  1865;  Samuel  C. 
McBride,  May  31,  1865;  James  A.  Nye,  May  17,  18(55;  Sylvester 
Sweet,  July  25,  1865;  George  Wonders,  June  24,  1865.  Recruits: 
John  L.  Moffat,  June  15,  1865;  Thomas  Murray,  June  15,  18<M. 


APPENDIX.  509 


RESIGNED. 

Captain  Mathew  B.  Potter,  Aug.  7,  18(53. 

PROMOTED. 

Private  Thomas  M.  Custer,  1st  Lieut,  in  40th  IT.  S.  C.  Inf. 

DISCHARGED. 

Corporals:  Henry  H.  Sloan,  dis.,  Mar.  4,  18(14;  Edward  H.  Cheeney, 
prom.,  April  27,  1803.  Privates:  John  Boden,  dis.,  Aug.  21,  1808; 
Alfred  H.  Carson,  prom.,  Dec.  1,  1803;  James  T.  Goeney,  dis.,  Oct.  0, 
1863;  James  Haney,  dis.,  March  24,  1863;  George  S.  Jarman,  dis., 
Aug.  6,  1863;  Lewis  Johnson,  dis.,  March  24,  1803;  Louis  Emile 
Lardon,  dis.,  July  13,  1805;  Richard  Martin,  dis.,  July  31,  1863; 
Robert  Moore,  dis.,  April  15,  1803;  Joshua  Shipley,  dis.,  Aug.  0,  1803; 
Isaac  L.  Sloan,  dis.,  Feb.  15,  1803;  Edward  Weinman,  dis.,  March  28, 
1864;  Peter  Work,  wounds,  Sept.  10,  1804;  Alexander  C.  Younkin, 
dis.,  Nov.  16,  1862. 

KILLED. 

Privates:  Samuel  F.  Adams,  Spanish  Fort,  Ala.,  April  3,  1805; 
Adam  Pulling,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  2,  1863. 

DIED. 

Corporals:  Samuel  M.  Likes,  Vicksburg,  Sept.  28,  1804;  James  B. 
Pratt,  Vicksburg,  Nov.  7,  1803.  Privates:  Ezra  L.  Aikens,  Vicksburg, 
Oct.  7,  1803;  Samuel  E.  Allard,  Vicksburg,  Dec.  31,  1804;  John  W. 
Atkins,  at  home,  Oct.  11,  18(52;  Nathaniel  Copper,  wounds,  near  Cham 
pion  Hills,  Miss.,  May  21,  1803;  Thomas  Daughman,  Jackson,  Tenn., 
Oct.  31,  1802;  William  Dustin,  Cairo,  111.,  Oct.  7,  1804;  Alexander 
Karnes,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  19,  1803;  John  P.  Mathews,  wounds, 
Vicksburg,  July  11,  1803;  David  Morris,  Chickasaw  Bayon,  Miss., 
July  3,  1863;  Shedrick  Oliver,  Lagrange,  Tenn.,  Nov.  15,  1802;  James 
Oliver,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Aug.  3,  1803;  James  C.  Pyle,  at  home,  Oct. 
1(5,  1802;  John  C.  Smith.  Cairo,  111.,  Aug.  7,  1803;  John  Taylor, 
Lagrange,  Tenn,  Nov.  11),  1802;  Albert  Walton,  Camp  Butler,  111, 
Oct.  5,  1863;  Alexander  Weir,  Memphis,  Sept.  4,  1803;  James  II . 
Whaley,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  April  4,  18(53;  Recruit,  Jacob  Schuy- 
hart,  Vicksburg,  July  2,  18(54. 


510  APPENDIX. 


TRANSFERRED. 

Privates:  John  Demar,  V.  R.  C.,  March  81,  1804;  James  W.  Smith. 
V.  R.  C.,  Sept.  29,  1863.  Recruits:  Joseph  Adams,  Henry  Ankel, 
Joseph  Allbee,  James  M.  Beatty,  Andrew  Conoway,  Wm.  H.  Carson, 
Walter  A.  Fell,  Alvin  Gaily,  Sheldon  Hodges,  Andrew  J.  Hickson, 
William  Hall,  James  M.  Jones,  Samuel  Jones,  Leopold  Kempin,  John 
Lehman,  John  McLelland,  Adolph  Nehring,  Thomas  W.  Rule,  Isaac 
Shipley,  Joseph  Sackrider,  Andrew  Turnbull,  DeWitt  C.  Wilson, 
Joseph  Wonders,  William  S.  Wilson,  Joshua  Wilkins,  John  Zumbrun, 
Cyrus  L.  Zumbrun,  John  Zang,  to  33d  111.,  July  16,  1865. 

ABSENT  AT    THE  MUSTER-OUT  OP  THE  REGIMENT. 

Recruit  William  W.  Wearmouth.  Afterwards  honorably  accounted 
for. 

UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

Joseph  McGrew,  James  Simms,  Reuben  Taylor  and  Elias  Tibbs.  all 
mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 


COMPANY  G. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15.  1865. 

Captain  Benton  Pratt;  1st  Lieut  John  W.  Mosby;  2d  Lieut.  Wil 
liam  B  Day;  1st  Sergeant  Jay  Martin;  Sergeants:  Milton  Anderson. 
Lukens  Hall,  Geo.  H.  Arnold,  Jackson  D.  Thornton;  Corporals:  Wil 
liam  H.  Garrett,  William  Goddard,  Marion  Gross,  William  R.  Heggs, 
Augustus  Mullenberg,  David  Noble,  Patrick  Welch;  Musicians:  Edwin 
H.  Damon,  Levi  F.  Swafford;  Wagoner,  Henry  Tieman:  Privates; 
Chas.  A.  Brusor,  Shadrach  C.  Burlingame,  Jasper  A.  Commons, 
Nathan  Commons,  Rossler,  Delabar,  William  Dobbins,  David  David 
son,  Francis  P.  Eckert,  Alfred  foreman,  Sewell  Garrett,  James 
Hindman,  Walter  D.  Hodson,  George  W.  Jackson,  James  James, 
Andrew  Johnson,  John  T.  Jack,  Martin  Kinseman  Henry  Knicker 
bocker,  Abraham  Linsefelter,  Uriah  Lutz,  Augustus  Lawson,  John 
McKinley,  Frederick  Mullenberg,  Arno  M.  McWhorter,  Joseph  Mills, 


APPENDIX.  511 


William  Nadge,  Marion  Riggs,  Benjamin  C.  Stratton,  Augustus  J. 
Spolader,  John  Spear,  Moses  Shores,  John  W.  Williams,  Joseph  Wag 
ner,  David  L.  Young;  Recruit,  Daniel  McGrath. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Privates :  Uriah  Clark,  June  8,  1865 ;  Cyrus  G.  Jackson,  May  27, 
1865;  Henry  West,  June  13,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

Captain  Lyman  H.  Scudder,  June  29,  1864;  1st  Lieutenant  Ezra  C. 
Benedict,  Feb.  16,  1863. 

DISCHARGED. 

Corporals:  Isom  Jackson,  dis.,  Nov.  9,  1863;  Thomas  Fuller,  June 
15,  1865;  Privates:  Jefferson  Allington,  dis. ,  Dec.  22,  1864;  Frederick 
S.  Batchelder,  dis.,  Nov.  14,  1862;  John  P.  Dungan,  prom.,  Dec.  1, 
18(54;  Loren  Fuller,  June  15,  1865;  Jeremiah  Fryer,  dis.,  Dec.  16, 
1862;  AmosGoddard,  dis.,  Jan.- 21,  1864;  Samuel  S.  Goddard,  dis., 
Sept.  2,  1864;  James  Gross,  dis.,  Aug.  12,  1863;  Am ericus  Lawrence, 
dis.,  Nov.  14,  1862;  William  H.  Mosby,  dis.,  April  20,  1863;  James  D. 
Sisk,  dis.,  Oct.  7,  1864;  David  Townsend,  dis.,  March  28,  1863; 
Joshua  W.  West,  dis.,  June  12,  1863.  Recruit  Alvin  P.  Fuller,  dis., 
June  4,  1865. 

KILLED. 

Private  John  T.  Bates,  Champion  Hills,  Miss.,  May  16,  1863. 

DIED. 

Privates:  Joseph  S.  Dungan,  St.  Louis,  April  9,  1863;  John 
Fitzgerald,  accidentally  shot,  Big  Black,  Miss.,  March  25,  1864;  James 
Lee,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  February  17,  1863;  Levi  Landreth,  Memphis, 
March  16,  1863;  John  D.  Linn,  Memphis,  February  19,  1863; 
George  Middleton,  Memphis,  March  18,  1863;  Benjamin  A.  Noble, 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  22,  1865;  George  Sloan,  Memphis,  March 
8,  1863;  Oliver  G.  Swafford,  Lake  Providence,  La.,  May  8,  1863; 
Charles  Shafer,  wounds,  Memphis,  June  18,  1863.  Recruit  Henry 
Sloan,  Memphis,  March  3,  1863. 


512  APPENDIX. 


TRANSFERRED. 

Corporal  James  W.  Wharton,  non-commissioned  staff.  Privates: 
William  H.  Burr,  Invalid  Corps,  Sept.  15,  1868 ;  Loami  Brown,  V.  R. 
C.,  Sept.  15,  1865;  William  Chichester,  V.  R.  C.,  May  21,  1864;  Levi 
T.  Faulkner,  Invalid  Corps,  April  22,  1864;  William  R.  James,  Invalid 
Corps,  May  31,  1864;  Joseph  B.  Thornton,  Invalid  Corps,  April  22, 
1864.  Recruits:  William  Anderson,  Thomas  Bratton,  Benjamin 
Bowman,  Isaac  Downs,  Jesse  M.  Derrickson,  David  H.  Derrickson, 
Oliver  P.  Essley,  Harrison  P.  Fuller,  Marion  James,  John  W. 
Jackson,  Claus  H.  Pettersen,  Charles  R.  Swift,  Gilbert  Sloan,  Harrison 
Shoemaker,  William  T.  Trusler,  Orson  Wood,  to  33d  Illinois,  July  16. 
1865. 

ABSENT   SICK   AT   MUSTER-OUT   OF   REGIMENT. 

Privates:  Joseph  W.  Bates,  John  H.  Shaw. 

ABSENT   WITHOUT    LEAVE   AT    MUSTER-OUT   OF   REGIMENT. 

Recruit  Charles  Day. 

DESERTED. 

Privates:  William  Hiskey,  Jan.  22.  1863;  Charles  Hildebrand,  Feb. 
22,  1863;  Myron  Williams,  April  3,  1863. 

UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

William  Gould,  Robert  Malvin,  Jesse  Owens,  and  John  Ousley, 
mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 


COMPANY  H. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  John  W.  Kendall;  1st  Lieut.  Freeman  L.  Campbell;  1st 
Sergeant  George  M.  Cronk;  Sergeants:  Samuel  Milner,  Henry 
Frausham,  Charles  H.  Snedeker,  Byron  Snow.  Corporals:  Frank 
Bailey,  Jason  Gregory,  James  H.  Hurd,  Emerson  Pinney,  George 
W.  Rake.  Wagoner  Albert  E.  Albee.  Privates:  Merritt  Allen, 
Theodore  Bammer,  John  D.  Church,  William  Cassalee,  William  E. 
Carpenter,  William  H.  Crosby,  James  R.  Chidester,  Warren  H. 


APPENDIX.  513 


Ensign,  Henry  H.  Evans,  Jacob  F.  Fisher,  Theodore  Golden,  Martin 
J.  Gould,  Willis  A.  Gardner.  William  Hurlbut,  Daniel  Harris,  Herman 
Kennedy,  Henry  J.  Mostow,  George  Ormes,  Albert  Stickles,  Martin  J. 
Tarble,  William  Wright,  Charles  Woodward,  Albert  A.  Westover, 
Harvey  Woodcock. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Sergeant  Wallace  W.  Baker,  May  31,  1865.  Corporal  Wilford  A. 
Seymore,  June  7,  1865.  Privates:  Gustavus  Aucutt,  May  28,  1865; 
Horace  N.  Drake,  May  3,  1865;  William  T.  Murray,  June  17,  1865; 
Charles  E.  Otis,  June  2,  1865;  Russell  Richardson,  May  28,  1865;  Jay 
J.  Tarble,  May  28,  1865;  George  A.  White,  May  23,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

1st  Lieut.  Justin  D.  Andrews,  Jan.  28,  1863;  1st  Lieut,  Theodore 
Potter,  wounded,  Dec.  26,  1863. 

DISCHARGED. 

Sergeant  Oliver  D.  Bonney,  prom.,  Jan.  13,  1864.  Corpoials: 
Levi  Morgan,  July  6,  1865;  Joseph  Sedgwick,  prom.,  Dec.  15,  1863. 
Musician,  Xenophon  Beher,  prom.,  Jan.  19,  1864.  Privates:  Robert 
T.  Anderson,  dis.,  Nov.  21,  1863;  George  H.  Baker,  dis,  March  29, 
1863;  Samuel  A.  Campbell,  prom.,  Jan.  4,  1864;  Florence  M.  Crosby, 
prom.,  Jan.  10,  1864;  Henry  E.  Daniels,  prom.,  Dec.  11,  1863;  Solomon 
S.  Dennison,  prom.,  Dec.  13,  1863;  James  A.  Eggleston,  dis.,  Aug.  26, 
1863;  Charles  Edson,  dis.,  May  7,  1863;  James  R.  Gillett,  Jan.  3, 
1863;  Austin  P.  Hatch,  dis.,  Aug.  7,  1863;  Asahel  Judd,  prom.,  Jan. 
2,  1864;  George  S.  Prindle,  prom,,  May  12,  1863;  George  W.  Slate, 
dis.,  Oct.  8,  1864;  Harvey  S.  Seymore,  prom.,  April  2,  1864;  David 
Smith,  wounds,  April  25,  1864;  Melvin  Tarble,  prom.,  Aug.  31,  1863; 
William  Van  Sickle,  dis.,  Oct.  20,  1862;  John  Waldvogel,  dis.,  Nov. 
18,  1862;  John  Woodward,  dis.,  Aug.  26,  1863;  Evans  M.  Waterman, 
dis.,  March  6,  1863;  Henry  Young,  dis.,  Dec.  3,  1863.  Recruit,  Henry 
Loomis,  dis.,  Feb.  26,  1863. 

KILLED. 

Privates:  Martin  Lenox,  Alphonzo  Rice,  George  A.  Snow,  and 
Peter  F.  Shyler,  all  at  Champion  Hills,  Miss.,  May  16,  1863. 


514  APPENDIX. 


DIED. 

1st  Lieut.  Granville  A.  Spear,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Oct.  80,  1864. 
Corporals:  Alvin  A.  Page,  Lagrange,  Tenn.,  Nov.  23,  1862;  David  H. 
Parsons,  at  home,  July  23,  1864.  Privates:  Orin  C.  Allison,  Vicks- 
burg,  Miss.,  Aug.  16,  1863;  John  Miles,  Chicago,  111.,  April  14,  1865; 
John  J.  Potter,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  12,  1863;  Leroy  J.  Smith, 
drowned,  Sept.  29,  1863,  while  trying  to  escape  from  burning  Str. 
uCampbell";  Charles  Tittsworth,  wounds,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  23, 
1863;  Wallace  Wilder,  Annapolis,  Md.,  just  after  exchange  as  prisoner 
of  war,  March  16,  1865.  Recruit,  Luther  M.  Trask,  Vicksburg,  Dec. 
5,  1863. 

TRANSFERRED. 

Corporal  George  R.  Robinson,  V.  R.  C.,  Jan.  15,  1864;  Musician 
Joseph  E.  Merrill,  non-commissioned  staff.  Privates:  Charles  B. 
Allaire,  non-commissioned  staff;  Theophilus  Gaines,  V.  R.  C.,  April 
2,  1864;  John  A.  Miller,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28,  1863;  Orlando  J.  McCul- 
lom,  V.  R.  C.,  Jan.  15,  1865. 

DETACHED   AT   MUSTER-OUT   OF   REGIMENT. 

Private  William  Ferrin. 

UNDER  COOK— colored. 
Washington  Baker,  mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 


COMPANY  I. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Benjamin  A.  Griffith;  1st  Lieut.  Joel  H.  Masten;  2d  Lieut. 
James  M.  Griffith;  1st  Sergeant  David  T.  Guy.  Sergeants:  Thomas 
H.  Beasley,  Charles  A.  Hannaford;  Color-Serg't.  Wesley  S.  Stokes. 
Corporals:  William  M.  Campbell,  Thomas  Foley,  Gary  F.  Griffith, 
William  F.  Silvertson.  Musician  Albert  V.  Sill.  Privates:  John  W. 
Browning,  Shared  A.  Bugg,  William  Burrows,  William  Carlyle,  G. 
Miles  Colwell,  William  H.  Duncan,  William  Foster,  Budd  Gooding, 
Joseph  H.  Hainline,  James  F.  Harris,  Penuel  Lcake,  William 


APPENDIX.  515 


McCauley,  William  Murfin,  George  C.  Murphy,  Joseph  B.  Overton, 
George  H.  Peterson,  Luke  Snow,  Moses  F.  Wooley,  Job  Yard.  Re 
cruits  :  John  Creasey,  James  Warriner. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Sergeant  Isaac  R.  Hughes,  July  5,  1865.  Corporals:  William  B. 
Hawkins,  June  6,  1865;  Joseph  C.  Teas,  wounds,  July  24,  1805. 
Privates:  Edwin  Divine,  May  22,  1865;  Jabez  Edwards,  June  15,  1865; 
William  B.  Greenup,  May  20,  1865;  Milo  Hobart,  June  9,  1865.  Re 
cruits:  Roily  R.  Branson,  May  27,  1865;  John  Devault,  May  22,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

Captain  Thomas  K.  Roach,  July  11,  1863;  1st  Lieut.  Elijah  Boreton, 
June  25,  1864. 

PROMOTED. 

1st  Lieut.  R.  L.  Howard,  Chaplain,  Sept.  9,  1863. 

DISCHARGED. 

Sergeant  James  S.  Shryack,  dis.,  Feb.  10,  1863.  Corporal  Jesse  See, 
dis.,  April  4,  1863.  Musician  Milton  J.  Stokes,  dis.,  Dec.  10,  1862. 
Privates:  Hay  wood  Howell,  dis.,  March  12,  1863;  Adolphus  B.  Kelly, 
prom.,  July  17,  1863;  Elijah  G.  Lyon,  dis.,  Nov.  16,  1862;  Dexter 
Millay,  dis.,  Feb.  25,  1864;  Alfred  Paulk,  dis.,  at  Jackson,  Tenn. ; 
Isaac  N.  Stodgill,  dis.,  Aug.  9,  1863,  died  on  way  home.  Recruits: 

David  I.  Hainline, ,  1863;  John  M.  Morgan, ,  1865;  John  H. 

Reiner,  dis.,  Aug.  9,  1863,  died  shortly  after. 

KILLED. 

Privates:  Henry  C.  Ferguson  and  Henry  T.  Forest,  at  Champion 
Hills,  Miss.,  May  16,  1863. 

DIED. 

Privates:  Benjamin  F.  Bugg,  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Feb.  17,  1863; 
Albert  G.  Buttz,  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  29,  1863;  Abraham  C. 
Gooding,  at  home,  Oct.  23,  1862;  Nathaniel  M.  Guy,  Vicksburg,  July 
8,  1863;  Amos  B.  Johnson,  Quincy,  111.,  April  27,  1865;  Jasper 
Kinnett,  Memphis,  Feb.  11,  1863;  William  C.  Morris,  Oxford,  Miss., 
Dec.  16,  1862;  Flavius  J.  Sypherd,  at  home,  Dec.  27,  1864;  Thompson 
Thomas,  wounds,  St.  Louis,  July  30,  1863. 


516  APPENDIX. 


TRANSFERRED. 

1st  Sergeant  Joseph  Lyon,  V.  R.  C.,  Feb.  11,  1864;  Sergeant 
Thomas  O.  Bugg,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28,  1863.  Privates:  Harrison  VV. 
Beck,  to  Co.  C ;  Rees  S.  Bell,  to  Co.  C ;  Henry  P.  Brown,  to  Co.  B ; 
Paul  Barnhart,  to  Co.  E;  Ephraim  Frost,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28.  1863, 
wounds;  John  G.  Given,  to  Co.  C;  Josiah  D.  Harrison,  V.  R.  C., 
March  15,  1864;  Lewis  T.  Hickok,  to  Co.  E;  Charles  H.  Mallo,  to  Co. 
B;  James  T.  McMaster,  to  Co.  B;  Thomas  K.  Mills,  to  Co.  C;  Samuel 
Parack,  V.  R.  C.,  March  15, 1864;  Nathaniel  Ratliff,  to  Co.  B;  George 
W.  Wampole,  to  Co.  E;  Edwin  A.  Williams,  to  Co.  B.  Recruits: 
Corporals  Bernhart  Gilbert,  Evan  H.  Noyes  and  Sylvester  L.  Williams, 
to  33d  Illinois,  July  16,  1865;  Privates  William  H.  Cloud,  Charles  L. 
Ellison,  Hiram  Fullerton,  James  M.  Foley,  George  G.  Gilbert,  James 
R.  Gilbert,  Lyman  Gooding,  Joseph  T.  Griffin,  Robert  B.  Hawkins, 
John  Keeler,  John  N.  Lovell.  Charles  W.  Lovell,  Calvin  McGraw, 
George  Morton,  Luther  Murphy,  William  0.  Sweeney,  John  Smith, 
and  William  H.  Victory,  to  33d  Illinois,  July  16,  1865. 

ABSENT  SICK  AT  MUSTER-OUT  OF  REGIMENT. 

Private  John  C.  Phillips. 

DESERTED. 

Privates:  Thomas  J.  Bowers,  from  home  in  1862;  Daniel  McDonand. 
Oct.  3,  1862;  Patrick  McMullen,  Feb.  11,  1863.  Recruits:  George  C. 
Cooper,  March  13,  1865;  Benjamin  McCann,  March  4,  e865. 

UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

Mike  Hobson,  mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865 ;  Isaac  Williams,  died  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  7,  18(54. 


COMPANY  K. 

Mustered  out  Aug.  15,  1865. 

Captain  Stephen  N.  Sanders;  1st  Lieut.  Hiram  H.  Hall;  2d  Lieut. 
John  B.  Mabry;  1st  Seargent  Peter  C.  Rape.  Sergeants:  Weslej' 
Hudgen,  James  H.  Hodges.  Color-Serg't:  Thomas  J.  Sanders, 
Balaam  N.  Brown.  Corporals:  William  P.  Simpson,  George  W. 


APPENDIX.  517 


Easley;  James  W.  George,  William  B.  Hankins,  Thomas  J.  Harris, 
William  E.  Mabry,  D.  B.  Thorn ason,  Joseph  Wagoner.  Musician, 
William  R.  Hampton.  Wagoner,  James  N.  Bland.  Privates:  William 
H.  Brooks,  John  P.  Colburn,  William  Campbell,  John  Conrad,  John 
G.  Barley,  Henry  Frasier,  Shepherd  Hudson,  Fountain  W.  Halley, 
Joseph  B.  Harden,  George  Harden,  Absalom  Lusk,  Jacob  B.  Proctor, 
Samuel  Peek,  John  Peek,  George  H.  Payne,  John  T.  Puckett,  Alfred 
N.  Rape,  Johnson  F.  Schultz,  Loren  Shirtlef,  David  C.  Walker,  James 
B.  Ward,  Presley  E.  Williams.  Recruits:  Nathaniel  Grundy,  William 
T.  Mullen,  William  R.  Pugh,  Charles  H.  Talbot. 

Mustered  out  at  other  times. 

Privates:  Richard  J.  Holloway,  June  16,  1865;  Chrisley  W.  Keen, 
Sept.  14,  1865,  to  date  Aug.  15,  1865. 

RESIGNED. 

Captain  James  H.  Morgan,  Feb.  5,  1863;  3d  Lieut.  William  H.  Car 
ter,  Oct.  21),  1864. 

DISCHARGED. 

Corporals:  Ethan  M.  Mengel.  dis..  June  25.  1865;  Maxwell  W.  Mor 
gan,  wounds.  Nov.  15  1868.  Privates:  Abraham  Baker,  dis..  Nov.  8, 
1868;  Phillip  W  Bradley,  dis..  July  17.  1868;  William  A.  Craddock, 
dis..  May  5.  1863;  William  F.  Campbell  June  5.  1865;  Bel  a  Gather, 
dis.,  June  16.  1865;  George  M.  Martin,  dis..  Feb.  5,  1863;  Daniel 
Norton,  dis.,  March  18,  1863;  Newton  A.  Ooley.  dis.  April  6.  1863; 
JohnM.  Robenson  dis..  March  20,  1863;  John  Smith,  June  16  1865; 
JohnD.  Tilley,  dis..  Dec.  13,  1862;  William  A.  Trousdale,  dis..  Dec. 
16,  1862. 

KILLED. 

Sergeant  James  T.  Keen,  Champion  Hills,  Miss.,  May  16,  1863. 

DIED. 

1st  Lieut.  Thomas  I.  Willian  Cotton  Hills,  111..  Nov.  5  1862. 
Sergeants:  Levi  B.  Mengel.  Lake  Providence,  La.,  April  12  1863; 
William  H.  Hodges.  Vicksburg.  Miss.  June  i),  1863.  Corporals:  Ben 
jamin  K.  Proctor,  at  home.  Jan.  22  1864;  Gilbert  L.  Rude  Vicks 
burg,  July  2  1863.  Privates:  William  H.  Brandt,  Natchez  Miss., 


518  APPENDIX. 


April  21.  1865;  John  C.  Bradley.  St.  Louis.  Mo..  Dec.  10.  1862; 
Joseph  B.  Bridges  Youngs  Point.  La.,  July  3,  1863;  George  C.  Black, 
wounds,  Spanish  Fort. ,  Ala..  March  28,  1865;  Charles  H.  Christian. 
Big  Black,  Mies.,  Nov.  17.  1863;  Rolla  J.  Carter.  Jackson,  Tenn.  Nov. 
15.  1862;  Harrison  T.  Easley.  Big  Black.  Miss..  Dec.  4.  1863;  James 
W.  Gregory,  St.  Louis,  May  8  1863;  Josiah  Kirk.  Memphis.  Tenn., 
March  3.  1863;  John  Loftis,  Memphis,  Feb.  21.  1863;  Andrew  Mc- 
Crary,  Memphis,  March  18  1863;  Presley  T.  Peek,  Lake  Providence, 
La..  March  28,  1863;  Presley  Peek,  wounds  Vicksburg,  June 27.  1863; 
William  Pugh,  Memphis,  Feb.  6,  1863;  John  Robertson,  Vicksburg 
Aug.  11,  1863;  Quartus  N.  Rice,  Lagrange  Tenn.,  Dec.  21,  1862;  John 
Rabe,  Lagrange.  Jan.  21,  1863;  James  W.  Shaw,  Vicksburg,  July  20, 
1864;  William  T.  Vangan,  St.  Louis,  April  28,  1863;  Newton  J.  Van- 
gan,  at  home,  April  8  1864;  George  Wright.  Big  Black.  Miss..  Dec.  4, 
1863.  Recruits:  Gilbert  S.  Hankins.  at  home.  Dec.  31,  1864;  Isaac 
P.  Kinnerby.  Memphis  April  5.  1863;  Job  S.  Lupton.  Memphis, 
March  25,  1863. 

MISSING. 

Privates  Samuel  Mallon  and  Edward  Phillips,  Canton.  Miss..  Feb. 
29,  1864.  (See  chapter  on  Our  Captured.) 

TRANSFERRED. 

Private  Pleasant  Easley,  V.  R.  C.,  Oct.  28,  1863.  Recruits:  Henry 
Brown,  Tobias  Blackman,  Benjamin  Blackman,  William  H.  Crowder, 
Joseph  Godfrey,  William  L.  Horton  Oscar  F.  Herron,  George 
McByers,  Finley  McDowell.  George  W.  Martin.  George  Robbins, 
Martin  L.  Sanders,  John  F.  Sanders  Andrew  D.  Sanders,  William 
Smith,  Washington  Tobcy.  Henry  A.  Wilkinson,  to  33d  Illinois,  July 
16,  1865. 

REJECTED   FOR     DISABILITY. 

Recruit  William  D.  Gash. 

DESERTED. 

Corporal  William  Haynes;  Musician  Andrew  Jordan.  Privates: 
John  C.  Abel,  John  W.  Galyen,  Jasper  Hudson,  Thomas  H.  Milburn, 
July  4,  1864.  Recruits:  Joseph  Arguett,  James  D.  Hamel,  George 
King,  James  A.  Martin,  and  John  Risley,  dropped  July  4,  1864.  The 
first  five  were  dropped  July  31,  1863,  having  never  gone  to  the  front. 


APPENDIX.  519 


UNDER  COOKS — colored. 

Charles  Baldwin,  deserted  Sept.  30,  1804;  Charles  Bracey,  mustered 
out,  Aug.  15,  18(55. 

Unassigned  recruits,  never  with  the  regiment,  mustered  out. 
George  Krill,  June  8,  18(55 ;  Ferdinand  Kreeger,  June  3,  1865. 

DISCHARGED. 
William  Hosier,  May  14,  1864;  D.  L.  Toland,  William  H.  Wilson. 

DIED. 

Thomas  Ashton,  Camp  Butler,  111.,  April  1(5,  1864;  Philip  Heil, 
Camp  Butler,  Dec.  HI,  1864;  William  Tompkins,  Camp  Butler,  April 
9,  1864. 

REJECTED. 

William  J.  Case,  Peter  Clark,  William  C.  Orr,  Kenyon  O.  Wood. 

UNACCOUNTED   FOR. 

John  H.  Bambrun,  Charles  W.  Brent,  William  J.  Davis,  James  C. 
Herrington,  Mortimer  Lyon,  John  W.  Mullen,  James  McMann,  John 
Moore,  Michael  J.  Murray,  J  mes  McCafferty,  Phelix  L.  Phillips, 
Andrew  Sill,  Alfonso  Tisler,  Charles  M.  Tompkins,  Frederick 
Terwilliger,  Leander  M.  Thompson. 


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